The Hebrue and Greek words translated Honour what they properly 〈◊〉 The necessity and original of Honouring superiours government a divine ordinance Power Principality and excellency 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how they differ Honour due to them all To natural parents 〈◊〉 the Country where we live To Princes To spiritual fathers To Magistrates In respect of excellnecy of gifts honour due First in respect of years Secondly of the gifts of the minde Thirdly of outward estate Fourthly of benefits received HOnour thy father and mother The last commandment is the fountain from whence all the rest of the second table do proceed as streames from the conduite head for as the first commandment contains the inward love and worship of God from whence all the other duties of the second table arise so the last contains the inward love and dutie of the heart which we ow to our neighbour from whence all other duties to our neighbour do spring so that the tenth commandement is the fountain and the other five are the streams And the streams receive a second division thus for either they do equally and alike concern al men in general as the 6. 7. 8. 9. Or else they have special respect to some as the fifth The general duties in the 6. 7. 8. and 9. Commandments are subdivided into such as either concerne our neighbour in his person or in the exteriour gifts of wealth credit and good name c. And those which respect 〈◊〉 person are either as he is considered in himself in regard of his essence in the sixth commandment or as he is in neer 〈◊〉 with another by marriage which makes of two one flesh in the seventh commandment Those that concerne him in his exteriour gifts respect either his substance or estate which is provided for in the eight or his credit and good name in the ninth commandment Or if we take them all four together There is a restraint in them all In the sixth a restraint of wrath malice c. and the effects thereof for the preservation of the lives of the members of the commonwealth and in respect of God for the preserveing of his Images which is defaced by murder In the seventh a restraint 〈◊〉 lust concupiscentia carnis which is prejudicial to the good of wedlock in the civil body and in respect of God is a defiling of the body which is the temple of the holy Ghost and a member of Christ and therfore ought to be kept holy and chast In the eighth a restraint of covetousnes which is concupiscentia oculorum the lust of the eyes which in respect of man is an offence against the politick state by doing wrong to another in his goods and in respect of God perverts the rule of justice prescribed by him In the ninth a restraint of the spirit of lying and detraction which our nature lusteth after whereas the provision of the good name of our brother is required and in respect of God here is order taken for the preserving of truth As the other commandements respect all men in general so the fifth respects some in special viz. inferiours and superiours and other mutual duties This fifth commandment being placed in the front of the second table hath an eye also to the first commandment of the first table The one commanded the honour of God the other of his vicegerents It containeth a precept and a promise 1. The precept is Honour thy father and thy mother 2. The promise that thy dayes may be long c. Some think the first words contain the duty of the inferiour and the last words that thy dayes c. contain the duty of the superiour because it is the duty of parents by providing for their children and praying for them to 〈◊〉 their dayes and so they are joyned Deut. 5. 16. But because Saint Paul makes it a promise Ephesians 6. 1. and a precept and a promise are two different things therefore it is better to divide the words into a precept and a promise As God in his infinite wisdom disposeth all things in due order so here he 〈◊〉 his wisdom more particularly known to us in the disposition of these commandments for by setting this in the first place of the second table he would have us take notice that after he hath taken order for his own honour in the first table his principall and first care is for honour to parents from whom next under himself we receive our being and therefore Philo saith the honour due to parents is set before all other duties we owe to men and placed as it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 confinio in the confines of a mortal and eternal nature it is set in the middle betweenh the duties to God and man because this commandment is the preserver bot of the first and second table for take away honour and obedience to superiours and all duties to God and man are neglected and fal to the ground Besides we may observe that God delighteth in his charge to us to knit up whatsoever he especially commandeth in a short and narrow compasse pressing more especially in every commandment some one more remarkable word in the commandments negative he maketh choice of the most ugly and deformed word of that sinne which he 〈◊〉 to terrifie us even from the very handmayds and dependants of it And in this affimative commandment he makes choice of the best words he can as father and mother for the object and of honour to set out the duty unto us Now as we said before of the love of our neighbour so here we may say concerning honour there are two grounds of either 1. Excellency and neernes of the person in respect of God 2. Conjunction or 〈◊〉 to our selves In the ordering of our love we shewed how that we are to respect the conjunction by nature or grace in the duties of love which we freely performe and that we owe not so much to those persons with whom we have no such conjunction thus we should prefer a faithful man before an infidel because in the one there is onely the image of God by nature it is both by creation and regeneration and as Saint Ambrose saith with the faithful semper futuri sumus we shall live for ever And among the faithful we should rather do good to those of our own country 〈◊〉 to strangers because beside the bonds of religion there is also a second bond of proximityan 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And among them to our acquaintance before those that are unknown to us because we have an 〈◊〉 entrance unto them to do them good by perswasion c. And among such to our kindred and alliance before others not 〈◊〉 because we are joyned and bound together as soon as we are born and this bond cannot be dissolved as long as we live And among strangers we should respect rather the poor then the rich c. This we shewed was the order of love
in respect of neernesse of conjunction with us But now in respect of excellency and the Honour which is therefore due to any it is otherwise for in some cases the person of greater excellency must be preferred before such as be of neer relation to us S. Paul honoured Nero an Infidel appealing to him Thus a stranger may be honoured rather then one of our own countrey as Daniel was honoured by Darius above all the Princes of Babylon and Joseph though a stranger by Pharaoh above all the Rulers of Egypt Thus one that is not allyed may be honoured before one of our own kindred as Moses appointed 〈◊〉 and not any of his own sons to succeed him in the government of Israel Now such persons as are to be honoured in respect of their excellent gifts and of their neernesse to God which we ought to esteem and honour above all neernesse to our selves by any relations to us and that not onely for it self but also our honour and respect being the reward which God hath appointed to such gifts although in respect of our selves also we are to regard them they being of great use and profit to us by their guifts The Heathen man said that every one made more account of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of his own things then of Gods and the Apostle complains of such as sought 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their own things and not the things of Christ but if we look at the 〈◊〉 of any we must not chiefly look at our selves but to honour God in his guifts for we must consider them in a double respect 1. As they are useful and beneficial to us and so the duty is diliges thou shalt love them 2. As they are neer to God by that excellency which he hath given them and so we must do more then love them we must honour them If it be here demanded Why did not God make all men excellent alike and fit to be Superiours Ans. God made men of finite natures and therefore of such condition that one should need the help of another for which end the woman also was made to be an helper to the man Besides seeing men grow in wisdom and abilities for several 〈◊〉 according to their finite capacities industry and education necessarily it follows that as the stars 〈◊〉 each from other in glory so one man doth excell another In this regard the elder brother having as dignity of primogeniture so more maturity of years and reason was appointed by God to rule over the rest of the family Yet God the King of kings and Lord of lords the fountain and original of all rule made Moses the younger brother Ruler and as a God to Aaron the elder brother and preferred David before his elder brethren and Solomon before Adonijah and Absalom when he first framed and composed a national government in his own people But having setled the platform of that rule he intended by the practise of David and Solomon in a Monarchical course the best of all kindes of governments and approved by God because he rested in it he left the managing of that kingdom and rule to the true and lawful heirs of David in all after times Because they by education under their parents and aptnesse of children to walk in the steps of their fathers and to fit their spirits and carriage to what they are born to would probably best perform the royal and weighty charge of ruling as kings and make election of the most able active and faithful instruments to assist them in 〈◊〉 their great affairs We come now to the words of the Precept and shall consider 1. The object father and mother and 2. The duty Honour 1. The object for as Chrysostome saith they must first be 〈◊〉 before they can be honoured Our Saviour saith call none father on earth for ye have but one father in heaven And to speak properly according to the rules of Divinity it is true there is no other father but God for other parents as the Heathen could say are but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the instruments of generation under God and therefore paternity being 〈◊〉 to God and man it is in God originally and properly in man derivatively and instrumentally as we see in the words of the Apostle who makes God the first father of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named and as he is the first so he is the last too for when my father and mother forsake me the Lord taketh me up faith the Psalmist God performs the office of a father first before any earthly could and last when other fathers cannot help us Now if all paternity or fatherhood be derived from God to men and they be 〈◊〉 his instruments and so be fathers by participation their duty or office signified 〈◊〉 the name father must be drawn from God as he is a father The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 father is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to will and desire because of that 〈◊〉 and ready will 〈◊〉 parents to take care and do good for their children and so Job calls himself pater 〈◊〉 a father of the poor because of the care he had to do them good and hence it is that whosoever is made by God a cause or Author of our good is by analogie 〈◊〉 with the name of father It is true the name is first given to God because he is causa existendi the cause of our being for this also is implyed in the Hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is given to any that is the first author or inventor of any thing and so it is given to our natural parents because that under God they are the causes of our being but then in the second place it belongs to them because of their care and propensity to do good and preserve their children And so the mother hath her name from presering and keeping her children 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vehensenter quia victum partui quaerit because she seeks to preserve her children and it appears by her creation that one end was to be a helper or assistant to the father in the preserving of children And thus by consequence whosoever are assistants for the preservation of others have this name communicated to them thus those that by their wisdom and counsel do assist others as the Elders and Rulers of the people are called parents which the Heathen saw by the light of nature for Plato and Xenophon say that a good Ruler or Governour differs nothing from a father So then whomsoever God hath placed in a state of excellency above us to be a cause of 〈◊〉 being or well being or an assistant therein these are commended to us by the names of father and mother 2. Concerning the duty Honour the Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is translated to Honour doth
wait as servants use to do on their masters we acknowledge there by a superiority and excellency in that party Thus far for honour which is due to excellency 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. But now when the second thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 power is added to excellency then there is another duty required in inferiours viz fear for as our Saviour speaks there is no power but from God it must be given from above and therefore by consequence there is due to them that have power from God part of that fear which we owe to men The honour given in this respect consists of the duty of fear This is a reverent awe and standing in fear of them that are placed in power over us Ye shall fear every man his mother and father saith God there is for our parents and Saint Paul commandeth servants to obey their masters with fear and trembling and Saint Peter servants be subject to your masters with all fear this is for masters Job saith that the people stood in such awe of him that when they saw him come forth they would convey themselves out of his presence as if they had done something not beseeming them the young men saw me and hid themselves This fear also is due to the king The people of Israel feared king Solomon and the same king gives the reason because his wrath is as a messenger of death 3. The third thing is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 government to which besides the former duties of honour and fear a third duty belongs viz. Obedience which the Apostle expresses by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be under a yoke That is when governours command this or that to be done except in things evidently contrary to the will of God we be content without disputing to put our necks under the yoak of their commands Saint Bernard saith verus obediens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quale sit quod 〈◊〉 hoc solo contentus quia praecipitur He that is truly obedient regardeth not what is commanded being content onely with this that it is commanded In the case of parents the Apostle gives this rule children obey your parents 〈◊〉 the Lord his reason for this is right As the Apostle used the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subjection to those more excellent then our selves as was shewe before Col. 3. 18. 1. Peter 2. 13. So here he vsed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be subject to set forth the obedience due to governours The like he gives to servants servants obey your masters c. And he commands Titus to put subjects in minde to obey magistrates The like charge of obedience he gives to Bishops and Governours in the Church obey them that have the rule 〈◊〉 you We have examples of dutiful children in this duty Of Isaac that obeyed his father even to the death Of the Rechabits in obeying their fathers commandment to drink no wine which act God himself by the prophet commendeth of our Saviour himself in the flesh And of servants we have the example of 〈◊〉 towards 〈◊〉 Lastly concerning subjects we have the example of the people of 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 All that thou commandest us we will do Now for the protestation of our obedience wherein we expresse the truth of it order is taken for giving honour to our governours by imparting our substance by way of grateful retaliation for their care and pains for our good Honour the Lord saith the Wise man with thy substance and goods c. and so by consequent this kinde of honour is due to those to whom God hath given the government over us we must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the Stork and our Saviour makes this a part of the honour due to father and mother when he reproves those that taught the people that by consecrating their goods to the Temple they were free from the obligation of this law of maintaining and relieving father and mother Therefore the Apostle requires that we render to higher powers their dues tribute and custome to shew that our selves are not onely ready in our persons but our goods too at their commands The last part of obedience is to the other part of the Law for the Law hath two parts the one directive and the other coercive or corrective so that if we deny our obedience we must submit to correction and yet with reverence as the Apostle speaks we must honour the Magistrate though we be corrected Thus far for the act commanded now for the manner of 〈◊〉 The second thing to be considered is the manner how all these duties must be performed and this consists in three things 1. They must be done in conscience and from the heart not with eye-service as unto men but with singlenesse of heart as fearing God as the Apostle speaks 2. They must be done alacriter cheerfully and readily not with grudging murmuring and repining whatsoever ye do do it heartily as to the Lord and not as to men 3. They must be done perseveranter with continuance and perseverance yea though we suffer unjustly by them for this saith S. Peter is thank worthy if a man for conscience towards God endure grief 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if he endure and hold out though he suffer wrongfully And because we are not naturally given to perform these duties of obedience and subjection especially in this manner therefore expositors yield 6 reasons drawn from the duty as it is expressed and inforced in Scripture to induce men thereunto 1. Because God hath placed this Commandment before that of our goods yea and of our life to shew that the maintaining of authority ought to be dearer to us then goods or life it self 2. Because the name of father and mother is full of love and reverence insomuch as some unreasonable beasts perform this duty more exactly then many men Therefore God includes all superiours here as Kings Lords Masters c. under these amiable names of father and mother 3. In regard of the long life annexed to the true performance of this dutie long life being a thing desirable and death a thing most repugnant to the nature of man To live long and to prosper is all that men desire upon earth Therefore the Apostle urges this Commandment from the promise specially annexed to it above the rest That it may be well with thee and that thou mayst live long on the earth 4. Because as the Apostle tells us it is a thing good and acceptable to God and in another place it is well pleasing to God he is especially delighted and highly pleased in it It is both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 acceptable and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 well pleasing unto God What can we desire more then to be good acceptable and well pleasing to God in our actions 5. The Apostle goes further and saith it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
professing that she would not forsake her till death And for the shame of those that shall neglect this duty we have an example of Caiaphas who though he were a wicked man yet honored his father in law giving him the preheminence in examining our Saviour first though he were the high Priest The second combination is between the father and the son the parent and the child And as the first duty of parents is generatio prolis the begetting of yssue so the first end of it is for the propagation of Gods church that there may be semen sanctum an holy seed a constant succession of Godly posterity to praise and glorifie God for as the Psalmist saith God appointed his laws in Israel that the fathers might make them known to their children that the generations to come might know them even the children that should be born and that they also arise and declare them to their children A second and subordinate end the wise man describes that children might be corona senum gloria patrum the crown of their age and the glory of their fathers that they may have comfort in their age We may observe divers excellent children in the Scripture when the parents looked up to God and regarded that first end of generation Isaac was born by promise as the Apostle speaks and his elder brother was but the son of nature In the next generation Joseph who was the blessing of Jacob was better then the rest of his brethren And so Samuel being vowed to the Lord and begot in his mothers lamentation was endued with wisdom and became a comfort to all Israel Solomon in all qualities the wisest of all none was ever like him among the sons of men And we may consider his birth David after he had composed the 51 Psalm in 〈◊〉 for his sins God bles'd him with this seed So that it is not generation but regeneration w ch is to be respected not the brutish appetite but the propagation of Gods Church which is principally to be regarded in begetting of children and the nurture and bringing them up being born in the fear of the Lord for there are other generations mentioned by Solomon of which parents can have little comfort if the end be neglected Now for the duty of children answering this they cannot paralel that of the parents in this point for the father begets the son the son cannot beget the father quoniam nisi per eos non fuissent because they had not had their being but for their fathers Therefore because they cannot perform any duty answerable to that of their parents in their procreation they must honour them as instruments of their being both by hearkning to their instruction as the Wise man counsels Hearken to the instruction of thy father and 〈◊〉 not the law of thy mother and by honouring them tanquam 〈◊〉 The father must be honoured in what low condition or estate soever he be We see the disobedient son called his father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sir or Lord. And the obedient son like wise professed how obedient and dutiful he had been to his father for many years though he had not done so much for him as for his prodigall brother Wicked Absalom coming to his father bowed himself on his face to the ground and King Solomon rose up and bowed to his mother And the reason why they are to perform the greatest honour to them next after God is because the greatest part of excellency is esse causam to be a cause of our being Now if any shall be so far gone as to reject his parents as ashamed at them or mock at his father and despise to obey his mother if he look with a scornful eye or with a crabbed countenance if he do vultu laedere pietatem mark what punishment the Wise man saith shall be fall such The ravens of the valley shall pick out his eyes and the young eagles shall eat them We may see this in the heavy punishment of Cham for deriding his father Noah a great curse was laid upon him The curse reached not onely to himself but to all his posterity being cast out of Gods favour for the blessings both of this life and the life to come If any shall go further and give evil language and reproach or curse them His lamp shall be put out in obscure darknesse that is he is filius mortis but a dead man It was Gods will by a special law enacted by him in this very case and much more he deserves to die if he be one that smites father or mother 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such a person was accounted by the very Heathen to be a greater malefactor then a murderer of others 2. The second duty of parents is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to nourish them continually as the word signifies and not as beasts for a moneths space They are not onely to take heed of procuring abortive births which was a capital crime under the Law but if after the birth there be expositio an exposing of the childe to the world which Hagar was about to do when she cast the childe under a tree the bottle of water being spent if the Angel had not recalled her If through negligence it happen to die as the womans son which was overlaid in the night or if it come to be lame or to lose any limb as Mephibosheth who was lame of his feet by a fall of his nurse it is a sin contrary to that duty which parents owe to their children for nature teacheth every one to nourish their own flesh as the Apostle hath it which is implyed in that which he urgeth in another place of providing for their family and not be so unnatural as when they ask them bread to give them a stone which our Saviour counted an unnatural thing Not is this nourishment all that is required of them but they must also provide for them for the future according to that of the Apostle Children lay not up for the parents but parents for the children There is an inheritance mentioned under the law If a man be not able to leave an inheritance or means when he dies he must take order to leave him an Art which as S. Augustine saith is all one with an inheritance In the choice and fitting the children to which the discretion of the father must discern and judge of the 〈◊〉 of his children to what art or profession they are most apt and fit by nature as Jacob did when he 〈◊〉 his sons with this proviso 〈◊〉 that they allot not the 〈◊〉 to God who in his Law commanded the first-born to be sanctified to him which Hannah performed in her vow of Samuel The duty of a childe answerable to this is remuneratio requital of benefits This the Apostle 〈◊〉
requires that children shew piety at home and requite their parents affirming that it is good and acceptable before God and for those that requite evil for good 〈◊〉 Wise man saith That evil shall not depart from their house This requital must not be only non subtrahendo by not making away wasting or pilfering their fathers goods which is condemned as a great fault such a son saith Solomon causeth shame and reproach and is a companion of a destroyer but by aiding them if they want ability for so the Apostle requires to requite their parents and as it follows to take order to relieve them that the Church be not charged that so it may relieve those that are widows indeed viz. which have no children able to maintain them Our Saviour would rather have the Corban go without then the father should want And the Council of Gangra hath a severe Canon which doth anathematize those which shall neglect their parents in this case And we have the example of our Saviour Christ performing this part of duty and taking care for his mother even at his death This the very Heathen saw to be a duty by the light of nature for at Athens Children after they came to be thirty years of age were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cherishers of their parents in their old age and they had laws which were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Stork laws and the story tells us that it was taken from the Storks which as writers testifie of them bring every morning and evening meat to the old storks when by agethey are not able to flie and they young ones when the old would drink take them on their backs and carry them to a river And the neglecters of this duty in their laws are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not capable of honour and were pronounced short lived Homer gives the reason of one that died suddenly that he did not nourish his parents To this may be added the duty which the godly have performed to their parents in their sicknesse and at their funerals An example we have in Joseph who though he were in a high estate yet came to his father Jacob in his sicknesse and when he was dead honoured him with solemn funerals And we may see it even in the ungodly for though Ishmael and Esau were wicked sons yet they thought it so great a piaculum to neglect their duty in this point that they concurred with their 〈◊〉 in the enterring of their deceased fathers 3. The third duty of parents is to bring up their children in the fear of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the fear and nurture of the Lord as the Apostle speaks The former dutie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to nourish their bodies most parents are careful enough of but this of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which concerns their souls they are carelesse in Men are apt enough with the mother of Zebedees children to take care for their preferment which is but a worldly care but for the care of their souls it is many times and with many the least of their thoughts Let them see their son break a bone or the like and they are presently much moved but though they see them break the Law of God it much troubles them not If their children come to any temporal punishment or shame or if they be disfigured in body or the like they will grieve and sigh but for any deformity in the soul or sinful practises whereby they incur the displeasure of God they are not troubled Therefore their duty is 1. in the first place to follow Abrahams example to incorporate them into the Church assoon as they can else as the Apostle speaks their children are not holy 2. After their initiating followeth their instruction because that non recedat ab co cum senex 〈◊〉 quod didicit juvenis he will not depart when he is old from that he learned when he was young And this instruction must not be curious or 〈◊〉 but after a familiar sort and in a plain way that may 〈◊〉 them with the principles of religion before they come to be auditors in the Church lest otherwise that which they hear 〈◊〉 may seem strange to them wherein they have the examples of Abraham and David It was also the practise of godly parents in the new Testament Timothy knew the holy Scriptures from a childe as S. Paul testified of him 1. The best way to make instruction profitable is example for as one saith very truely Validiora sunt exempla quam verba plenius opere dicetur quam voce examples are more prevalent then words and a man may speak more by his action then his voice I saw and considered it well and looked upon it saith the Wise man and so I received instruction Therefore parents example must not be repugnant to what they teach for then armatur natura exemplo corrupt nature is armed and strengthened by example if their example be repugnant to that they teach little profit will arise by instruction When the parents set the children a good example and say Go thou and do likewise or learn of me as Christ to his hearers their speech and pattern together will be very prevalent with their children 2. Another way to help instruction is by Discipline which the Wise man calleth the rod and reproof And this it is which puts wisdom into the soul which is kept out by folly which as it ariseth by impunity which the Rabbines call Magna venefica a great bewitcher so the rod of correction shall drive it away Solomon answereth one objection in this point which is I cannot love and correct too That is not so saith he He that spareth his rod hateth his son hut he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes If you correct him not you love him not And indeed in another place he scoffs at the lenity of those that make such objections Withhold not correction from thy child for if thou beat him with the rod he shall not die there is no fear of that but assurance of two great blessings by it as it followeth 1. It shall liberare animam ab inferno it shall deliver his soul from hell And 2. Afferre soiatium animo patris bring joy and comfort to the fathers heart But with this caveat that it be done dum spes est while there is hope 〈◊〉 the twig will grow so great that it will break before it bend S. Augustine proving out of our Saviours words to the Jews that we must do the works of Abraham tells us how we shall do them Omnis qui trucidat filiorùm voluptates tale sacrificium offert Deo quale Abraham he that kills pleasure in his children offers such a sacrifice to God as Abraham did If he kill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
wife along with him but his Nephew Lot also The like did Abraham for his father Terah being dead in Haran in the way he took Sarah and Lot his fathers brothers son and brought him into the land of Canaan The same care tooke Mardocheus of Esther who though she was but the daughter of 〈◊〉 the uncle of 〈◊〉 yet her father being dead he took her for his daughter And for default of kindred where there was none to take care God took order under the Law appointing every third year after the people had paid their tithes to the priests and Levites that the remainder should be tithed over again there must be a tenth for the fatherlesse and widow that they may eat and be satisfied This is for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. In the next place as there is a duty in fathers to the children of their kindred so likewise is there a duty of children to the kindred of their father and their elders We see this most excellently described in the story of Ruth who though Naomi were but her mother in law yet she would not forsake her but accompanied her into her own country and there was very careful to relieve her Thus the Kenites the posterity of Hobab Moses his father in law dealt friendly with the Israelits delivering Sisera to them And for spiritual duties we see Cornelius his care he sent for all his kindred who were ready to heare what Peter had to deliver from God And the Apostle professeth his great affection to his countrymen the Jewes his brethren his kinsmen according to the flesh that he was in continual heavines and sorrow of heart for them 3. And yet there is one rule more concerning this duty which not onely should extend it self to kindred but stretch it self to our own friend and our fathers friend as the wise man 〈◊〉 us we see the example for this in King David when Sauls sons were executed to stay the famine yet King David as the text saith spared 〈◊〉 the son of 〈◊〉 because of the league of frendship between him and 〈◊〉 his father And thus much for the duties of Parents and children 3. The third Combination is between the Master and the servant the master being in the family as the magistrate and superiour is in the Civilbody onely here the institution was from man but the approbation was from God whereas the institution of the supreme Civil power in kings was from God And the warrant of calling a master father and so honouring him is cleere from that place where Naamans servants call him father The scope and especial point to be aymed at in this Combination is 1. That all masters are to have respect to the chiefest good that salvation as with Zaeheus should come to their whole family So also it was with Lydia and her family Act. 16. 15. So with Cornelius Act. 10. 27. With the Iayler Act. 16. 33. And with Rahab 〈◊〉 2. 13. 2. That the master do dominari in bano govern his family for their good and his mutually not as he of which the Preacher took notice that ruled over another to his own hurt For the first institution of this relation we read of no servants at the beginning for if man had continued in his innocency there should have been none and there were none we read of till the time of Cham who for dishonouring his father was changed from a son to a servant of servants by the curse of Neah and the confirmation of it by God So that propter 〈◊〉 or maledictionem by sin it was first brought in And the like change happened afterward to Esau because he had behaved himself lewdly towards his father and unreverently towards God in neglecting and contemning his birthright the blessing was translated from him to Jacob to whom Esau was made a servant Servitude is of three kinds or sorts First by nature Secondly by war Thirdly by Covenant 1. The first way is depressione 〈◊〉 by a defect in nature want of gifts of the mind And men of this condition are ever fit to be imployed rather in the execution of other mens commands then to command others of themselves and are more meet to be ruled then to rule And this was Solomons opinion of natures order 〈◊〉 erit servus sapientis the fool shall be servant to the wise And indeed he cannot be better sped then so to be We see this in the Gibeonites which became servile and found safety and ease by it and that service was good for them there was in them depressio intellectus a defect in understanding and knowledg of God and his service and therfore they should be the fitter to serve in mean works and to be governed by the Levites when Jacob prophecied of Jssachar that he should couch down and submit himself to the burden and finde ease by it he sheweth that in that son and in that Tribe there would be depressio intellectus above al 's the rest and consequently that he was fit to be a servant And the Heathen man considering this point saith that God sheweth who are fit to serve by defect of understanding in some or making the body deformed or crooked fit for burdens and not giving 〈◊〉 proportion that it should be fit dominari to beare rule And this is the first way whereby servitude came in defect of natural parts 2. The second way was by force or war Thus the Posterity of Cham were hunters of men and which is strange though the curse of God was upon him and his posterity that they should be servants yet they were the first that began to hunt men and to make servants of others thereby drawing that curse upon themselves afterwards and thus came in servitus belli service of necessity necessity being that which dat legem legi imposeth a law upon the law as in the case of Joseph who being sold to the Madianites by his brethren and by them to Potiphar was by constraint become a servant And so we see in the story of 〈◊〉 and his crew Lot was taken prisoner and became a captive or servant for the time till Abraham rescued him This is the second way 3. The last way is servitus Pacti servitude by Covenant and this came upon the necessity which the other brought with it For because men were desirous to be freed from the cruelty of the Soveraignty of tyrants they willingly gave themselves to such as would use them well and were able to defend them from the tyranny of others And the Jews say that the great number of servants that Abraham had came to him by this means for they seeing the equity of his government and comparing it with the harsh dealing of those Lords they were subject to came willingly to him and became of his family And this proved to be a
he bids rest then we labour è contra Six works in particular forbidden the Jews Whether the same be absolutely now forbidden the Christians Rest necessary onely for the means of sanctification or the practise of it as in works of mercy or necessity Sabbatum Bovum Asinorum Sabbatum aurei vituli Sabbatum Tyri Sabbatum satanae CHAP. VI. page 285 The second thing commanded is sanctification which is the end of the rest The kinds of sanctification publick and private How the holy Ghost works in us sanctification The special acts wherein the sanctification of the day consists 1. Prayer 2. The Word read and preached 3. Meditation of what we have heard and upon the works of God out of Psal. 92. 4. Conference 5. Praise 6. Sacraments and discipline at special times The end of these means our sanctification and Gods glory CHAP. VII page 291 Works of mercy proper for the Lords day They are of two sorts 1. First Corporeal feeding the hungry c. Burying of the dead a work of mercy Such works proper for a festival Objections answered 2. Spiritual 1. To instruct counsel and exhort 2. Comfort 3. Reproof 4. Forgiving 5. Bearing with the weak 6. Prayer 7. Reconciling those that are at odds CHAP. VIII page 294 The second rule of Homogenea Fasting reduced hither Commanded under the Gospel 1. Publick fasts for averting of evil of punishment which is either malum grassans or impendens or of sin for procuring of good 2. Private fasts and the causes of them The parts of a fast 1. External abstinence from meat sleep costly apparel pleasure servile work almes then to be given Secondly internal humiliation for sin promise of reformation The third rule our fast and observation of the Lords day must be spiritual CHAP. IX page 298 The fourth rule of the means and helps to keep this Commandement viz. 1. Places 2. Persons 3. Maintenance 1. Of publick places for Divine worship The place as well as the time holy and both to be reverenced Addition 25. out of the Authors other works concerning the adorning of Gods house and against Sacriledge in prophaning it Addition 26. Further additions concerning Churches or places of Gods worship set places used from the beginning the necessity of them from natural instinct Their dedication and the use of it God is sole proprietor as of places so of all the Churches patrimony All humane propriety extinct by dedication the Clergy have only usum ac fructum no fee-simple by the Law Civil or municipal in any man but a quasi feudum onely CHAP. X. page 280 Of persons set apart for Gods service The mission choice the reverence due to them The benefit received by them spiritual and temporal Preservers of Kingdoms Humane laws and policies not sufficient without a teaching Priest c. Examples in divers Monarchies and Kingdoms CHAP. XI page 304 Of maintenance for such as attend at the Altar Schools and Colledges seminaries of the Church The ancient use of them among the Jews when they were in Egypt and afterward in Canaan In the Primitive Church care to be taken against admitting Novices or young men into the sacred Calling Maintenance due by the Ordinance of Christ is 1. Tithes Reasons that the tenth is still due under the Gospel to the Priesthood of Christ. Addition 27. About Tithes That the tenth part was sacred to God from the beginning by positive Divine Law obliging all mankinde and still in force The Law of Nature dictates not the proportion Humane Laws and Customs about the modus decimandi to be followed provided that they give not lesse then the true value of the tenth if otherwise they are void 2. Oblations alwayes in use in the Church Addition 28. about Oblations some may be due and limited by Law Customs Contract or necessity of the Church others voluntary and free No power in the Magistrate to alienate things dedicated to God CHAP. XII page 308 The two last rules 1. The signes of keeping the day 2. Of procuring the observation by others The conclusion The Exposition of the fifth Commandement CHAP. I. page 310 Of the sum of the second Table The love of our Neighbour How the second Table is like the first 1. Of the act Love How Christian love differs from other love The fruits of it The parts of it 2. The object our Neighbour Who is our Neighbour Degrees of proximity and order in love 3. The manner of love as thy self This must appear in 1. The end 2. The means 3. The manner 4. The order CHAP. II. page 318 The division of the Commandments of the second Table Why this is set here between the first and second Table The parts of it 1. A precept 2. A promise In the precept 1. The duty Honour 2. The object Father and Mother The ground of honour 1. Excellency 2. Conjunction The order of honouring differs from that of love Why God did not make all men excellent and fit to be superiours All paternity is originally and properly in God In man onely instrumentally The Hebrew and Greek words translated Honour what they properly signifie The necessity and original of honouring Superiours Government a Divine Ordinance Power Principality and Excellency 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how they differ Honour due to them all To natural Parents to the Country where we live to Princes to spiritual Fathers to Magistrates In respect of excellency of gifts honour due 1. In respect of years 2. Of the gifts of the minde 3. Of outward estate 4. Of benefits received CHAP. III. page 325 The mutual or reciprocal duties of superiours and inferiours 1 Love 2. To wish well and pray for one another The duties of inferiours 1. Honour Inward and outward 2. fear 3. Subjection and obedience active and passive 4. The protestation of our subjection by honouring them with our estates The manner how this duty must be performed CHAP. IIII. Page 330. The duties of superiours in four things Addition 29. Of the end of government and whether the people be above their governours The manner how they must govern Whether honour be due to one that is evil Whether he must be obeyed in maio Of disobeying the unlawful commands of a Superiour Add. 30. Of obedience in things doubtfull CHAP. V. Page 341 The first Combination between man and wife The special end of Matrimony implied in three words 1. Conjugium 2. Matrimoniam 3. Nuptiae The office of the husband 1. Knowledge to govern his wife 2. Conjugal love 3. To provide for her and the family The wives duties answerable to these officia resultantia Duties arising from these The duties of Parents and children The duties of Masters and servants CHAP. VI. Page 355 Of Tutors or Schoolmasters and their Scholars or Pupils The original of schools and Vniversities Mutual duties of Teacher and Scholar as the choice of such as are fit and capeable The particular qualifications of a Scholar Solertia
him a father to Pharoah and Lord of all his house Hence Deborah is called a mother in Israel Neither is this title and honour due to the supreme governour onely but also to the subordinate so Saint Peter commands to submit as to the king who is supreame so unto governours as those that are sent by him c. So that by this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the general of the army may be called the father of the Camp and whosoever hath any authority in any society derived from the king is thereby become a father and all honour belongs to him 5. Lastly if we come to that which we called excellency of gifts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when this is alone without the other two though there be neither 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 principality nor power yet there is an honour due and this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or excellency is of four sorts 1. Ratione 〈◊〉 in regard of years or age and an honour is due in this respect rebuke not an elder saith the Apostle but intreate him as a father the elder women as mothers 2. In regard of the gifts of the minde as wisdom and counsel whereby one is able to direct and advise others or to invent some things needful and conducing to the publick good thus Jabal is called the father of such as dwell in 〈◊〉 and of such as have cattle and Jubal the father of such as 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 and the organ 3. In respect of outward estate and wealth for money is nervus politiae the sinnew of the commonwealth therefore rich and wealthy men are esteemed in a common-wealth and called to publick assemblies before others because if it be in need they are most able to help Thus Nabal though a man of no other gifts yet because God had enriched him David doth implicitey call him father by 〈◊〉 himself his son give I pray thee whatsoever cometh to thy hand to thy servants and to thy son 〈◊〉 And this honour given to rich men for their wealth must be given no otherwise then in a civil respect otherwise it is condemned by Saint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 respecting of persons 4. In respect of benefits which any have 〈◊〉 upon us Thus Job by shewing mercy to the poor had the title of father I was a father to the poor and the cause 〈◊〉 I knew not I searched out And thus for the meaning of these words Honour thy father and mother We come now to the duties here required under this word Honour Honour thy father and Mother CHAP. III. The mutual or reciprocal duties of superiours and inferiours 1 Loue. 2. To wish well and pray for one another The duties of inferiours 1. Honour Inward and 〈◊〉 2. fear 3. subjection and obedience active and passive 4. The protestation of our subjection by honouring them with our estates The manner how this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be performed THese duties are to be handled 1. In general which concerne all superiours and inferiours And secondly in special such as concern special ranks and orders of superiours and inferiours as in the family the Church and the common-wealth Every duty consists in two things 1. The action and 2. The manner of performance and both are to be handled And because there are some duties reciprocal which are mutually to be performed both by superiours and inferiours towards each other to avoyd needlesse repetition it shall be good to speak of them generally in the first place The duties which are reciprocal or mutual are 1. First love but in an higher degree then ordinary which is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 affection of a higher degree then that which we owe to every one such as either ascends from the son to the father or descends from the father to the son and it is either naturaland proper between natural parents and their children or by analogie and proportion between others to whom the names of fathers and children are communicated as spiritual fathers in the Church and those that are begotten by them unto Christ of whom the Apostle speaking expresses the special love due to such fathers by a special emphatical word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have such in reputation or highly honour them Phil. 2. 〈◊〉 And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 esteem them very highly in love for their works sake there is a particular love which we beare to our friends and that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aboundant love but this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 superabundant and extraordinary in a more special and high degree the want of this natural affection is imputed as a great crime a signe of men given up to a reprobate sense Rom. 1. 29. And it is a prophecie of the end of the world when men shall be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without natural affection 2. The second mutual duty followes from the first and is the chief property of love to wish well to him we love and because Christianum votum est 〈◊〉 prayer is the Christians wish therefore it is that we comprehend prayer among the mutual duties of inferiours and superiours it must both ascend and descend for we are exhorted by the Apostle to pray for superiours The like for our countrey by the Prophet this is ascending Now downwards we have the example of King David for his people as also for Solomon his son And of holy Job who prayed for his sons and daughters every day So much for the duties reciprocal Come we now to the several duties of inferiours and superiours and first we shall speak of Honour which is the dutie of inferiours to their superiours In the strict sense whereof if we take it as our Saviour said of father there is but one father which is in heaven so may it as truly be said of honouer if we speak exactly and properly that as the Apostle saith it belongeth onely to God But God himself hath been pleased to communicate part of it to some men as the same Apostle he created some vessels to honour and consequently he calls some men from among the rest to be honorable for as the author to the Hebrews speaks no man takes this honour upon him but he that is called of God as Aaron Now God calls men when he bestows some gifts upon them whereby they excel their fellows for God dispenses his gifts variously as appears by the parable where the master called his servants and gave to some more talents then to others The scripture as was shewed before vseth three words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 excellency power and principalitie Now unto excellency honour properly belongeth and that is of two sorts Inward and outward Inward honour is when we have honestam opinionem a good opinion of a man in regard of some 〈◊〉 he hath above us for this good opinion is
which the Apostle speaks of those lusts which bud and spring up in young men this will prove an acceptable sacrifice It is recorded as a blemish to David that he never displeased Adonijah 1 Kings 1. 6. To conclude this point the last part of his duty towards them is prayer and that particular kinde of prayer which we call benedictio blessing them which makes the rest effectual and 〈◊〉 else God will curse them We see the practise of getting this blessing for Jacob by his mother which took effect in all his off-spring And we have the example of Jacob blessing his children and Davids blessing and prayer for Solomon And the curse of Noah which took the contrary effect in Cham. The childrens duty answerable to this is to obey and hearken to the instructions of their parents for as the Heathen saith Pudor est pudorem esse ei c. it is a shame that we should be a shame to them to whom we ought to be a comfort and seeing that the Holy Ghost saith that children should be a crown to their parents it were a great shame to be a crown of thorns to them The Wise man saith that a wise son maketh a glad father whereas contrariwise he tells us that a foolish son is a grief to his father and bitternesse to her that bare him And he that begetteth a fool doth it to his sorrow and the father of a fool hath no joy And therefore he would have this precept laid as a foundation in their hearts My son keep thy fathers commandment and forsake not the law of thy mother and perswades children to receive instruction and knowledge preferring it before silver and gold This is the first part answerable to the fathers The next is they are to imitate the fathers example being good It is said of Solomon that he walked in the steps of his father David and the Prophet Esay 〈◊〉 the people to take Abraham for a pattern And in the last place that they subject themselves to discipline according to that of the Apostle where he saith we have had fathers in the flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence this is it which puts a difference between a natural son and a bastard This also we are to take by the way that as the regarding of that we are taught is one part of our duty so another is obedience in the practise of it not in regard of that which the law of God expressely commandeth for that is not thanks-worthy but in matters also of indifferency The Rechabites were forbidden by their father Jonadab to drink wine a thing indifferent and they kept it and are commended for it The Heathen man could say that it was a great honour to parents 〈◊〉 referimus actiones nostras ad arbitrium parentum when we refer and submit our actions to their will and disposal This is therefore a special part of childrens duty to their parents as when they take their essent in the 〈◊〉 to a vocation or in not marrying without their approbation For if a vow of a childe must not be made in the fathers house without his knowledge or approbation then much lesse a covenant for matrimony Again if it be the part of a parent to give his childe in marriage then is it the duty of a childe to yield to it else it is no true childe but a Bastard or such a one as Esau who to the grief of his father and mother married against their mindes Now against disobedient children there was a law enacted by God worth the observation 〈◊〉 if a man have a stubborn and rebellious son that neither by fair nor foul means would be reclaimed his parents were to accuse him before the Elders and their accusation must be This our son is stubborn and rebellious c. and is a 〈◊〉 or a drunkard or hunter of 〈◊〉 Then follows the judgement and execution that he shall be stoned And there was little lesse favour to such in the laws of the Heathen for the father of such a person was to bring his son to the judge of the 〈◊〉 who was not to give what sentence he pleased in favour of the accused but dicturus erat 〈◊〉 quam pater voluerat he was to pronounce such a sentence as should please the father Solon being demanded why he left out of his laws a law against disobedient children answered because he thought there would be no such yet saith he I confesse I found 〈◊〉 of that kinde but by diligent search I discovered that they were but Supposititii not true sons but changelings and I thought that no true son would be a 〈◊〉 in that kind And the Philosophers were of opinion that every father had his 〈◊〉 a fury of hel to torment his son that should be disobedient There is a notable example of Gods veangence I am sure against Ells two sons in taking his grace from them in that they hearkened not to the voice of their father and his veangeance brought them to an untimely death Nay we see that though 〈◊〉 gave strict charge that no man should put 〈◊〉 his hand against his rebellious son Absalom yet God made Joah executioner of his wrath to kill him I can end no better then with the Greek saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If a man will not be obedient to his parents he shall obey him that is not his parent that is the hangman he shall come to an untimely end Now besides the duties between natural parents and children there are others like those officia resultantia of which we spake to which the father and son respectively are bound and first of the father 1 Because God oftimes takes away the father from the son that chief duty can no longer be performed by him therefore God taketh order that there be officia 〈◊〉 performed by others to them in the stead and place of fathers And in this respect it was that Laban called the children of Jacob his sons and daughters and this as he was their Grandfather and if Jacob had died the care of their education would have layen upon Laban in part In the law it is more plain for God there giveth charge that if any one for poverty should sell himself his brother his uncle or his uncles son were to redeem him If the next of kin was by the law to be vindex sanguinis the 〈◊〉 of blood and so to be concerned in case of death much more are the next of kin concerned in case of life We have an example of the care of kinred to the children of the deceased in Terah for whereas Loti father was dead Terah his uncle by the fathers side and father to Abraham departing out of Caldea into the land of 〈◊〉 thought it his duty not onely to take his own son Abraham and Sarah his
beget a holy seed and the 〈◊〉 also for education and this last the fatherhood of the Prophets and teachers in schools and universities are all of them ordained to prepare and fit men for this fatherhood in the Church and for the furthering of their paternal power in the work of the ministry this being the principal paternity and other fathers being but as pales and rayles to the 〈◊〉 to keep all within their due bounds thereby to set this worke the better forward For we may see that the Apostle setteth them in this order 〈◊〉 that Christ did by his descending his passion c. was to this end First to gather together the Saints which was to be 〈◊〉 Secondly by the work of the ministry by which they being gathered then cometh the third thing which is to build them up by faith knowledge and vertue as in verse 13. they being as S. Peter calls them living stones and so consequently they are to be partakers of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the growth or increase till they come to the fulnes of the stature of Christ being joyned togetherwith Christ the head here by the spirit and hereafter by perfect fruition of his presence and this was the chief and great work of all other for which all others 〈◊〉 ordained for which schooles were founded and the ministery ordained and common-wealthes established And therefore Saint Paul saith let no man glory in men for all things are yours speaking of the Church things present and things to come c. And you are Christs and Christ is Gods Thus we seethe institution ordination and withall the end of those which be lawfully called to become fathers in the Church and what account we are to make of this work seeing that families schooles and commonwealths were established yea the whole world created for this which is effected by the worke of the ministery the building up of the Church And it is the want of due consideration herein that hath brought that confusion and disturbance into the world which we daily see For whereas this ought to be the thing 〈◊〉 which we ought all anhelare to breath after and the Prophet sayes that Regeserunt nutritii Reginae nutrices 〈◊〉 Kings shall be thy nursing fathers and Queens thy nursing mothers that is of the Church and that their duty is nutrire whereby the churches estate might be the more glorious Some according to Ezeckiels Princes think that when they are 〈◊〉 to high places that the end for which they were so preferred is but to soake in the broth to live at ease or to do what they list as Jezebel said and all their care is but to have pacem in 〈◊〉 suis peace in their dayes and that outward peace that invasions tumults and broyles may not hinder them in their ease and pleasures And on the other side when subjects are such as king David speaks of men indeed made to be in honour but become without understanding that they know no other good but bonum sensibile their bellies tables furniture for their houses c. set their affections in the Apostles phrase on earthly things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so make that commutation which our Saviour speaks of gain the world and lose their soules they would soon bring this purpose of God to none effect if he laid not his helping to hand by this work of the ministry And because they look onely at the 〈◊〉 sensibile hence is their base account they hold of this ministery and that because of the outward appearance by which they judge we see that after Saint Paul had given forth great words concerning the power of his ministery that it was mighty through Christ to cast down strong holds c. yet as appears by his words after the Corinthians contemn all this because they looked on things according to the outward appearance In our Saviour himself was al the fulnes of the Godhead this power was 〈◊〉 none so ful as in him yet because as the prophet speaks when he was seen there was no beauty in him that he should be desired in 〈◊〉 of the outward appearance We see how he was handled on earth scorned and 〈◊〉 by the 〈◊〉 and Pharisees and the rest of the Jews and by 〈◊〉 and his men of war they did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 set him at nought and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scoff at him so that this calling which God had so highly advanced the world set at nought and scoffe at it And so the prophets were used before for Ahaziahs servants in derision called Eliah the man of God els why should he have called for fire from heaven to consume them And 〈◊〉 courtiers were likewise pleased to vent their scorne upon Elisha why came this mad fellow to thee But in this point the comfort is there is a good distinction observed by David I will hope in thy name saith he for thy Saints like it well as the common translation hath it but the new which is better saith I will wait on thy name for it is good before thy Saints There is bonum coram Sanctis bonum coram mundo the Saints have one thing good in their estimation and the world another The world would think it an idle humour in a man to praise God by siuging to him but the Saints like it well So that it is not the good conceit a man hath of himself as the Apostle speaks that shall help him nor others commendations of him but he whom the Lord commendeth may comfort himself in Gods approbation We will now come to the particular duties of the minister The Apostl e when he speaks of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the things appertaining to God he shews the end of the ministerie or priesthood of the Gospel viz. That he is to stand and appear for us in the things which concern God or when we have to deale with God therefore he saith that the priest is taken from among men that is being fitted by education of which before he is selected out of the ordinary sort of men and ordained for men in things pertaining to God that is to execute the offices of the Church in our stead before God so that this being a place of honour no man ought to thrust himself into the ministry but to expect till he shall be thought fit and be 〈◊〉 lawfully called No man taketh this honour upon him but he that is called of God as Aaron Now Gods calling is known by his gifts wherby he fits men by the talent he bestowes which when we have then we are inwardly called of God and then having the gift 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the power to administer holy 〈◊〉 by imposition of hands as the Apostle speaks we are then outwardly called by the Church And being thus called we are to performe the
an accepter of persons So 2. if he be not just he will accept a gift It was the fault of Foelix In the first case he that respects persons will transgresse for a piece of bread In the latter he that receiveth gifts overthroweth a kingdom And thirdly if he want understanding every one will despise him and his authority will be contemptible therefore he must have all these qualities that so he may judicare justitiam and that justissime give judgement that most justly He must not pervert the law thereby to colour his oppressions like those the Pialmist speaks of who sit in the chaire of wickednes and frame misch 〈◊〉 by a law If he be such a one like the unjust steward that wastd his masters goods if he abuse his princes authority who hath intrusted him he ought upon complaint to be put out of his stewardship and that by him that put him in that so more fit may be in his place CHAP. IX Of fathers by excellency of gifts The honour due to them is not debitum justitiae as the former but debitum honestatis 1. Of those that excel in gifts of the minde The honour due to them 1. To acknowledge their gifts Not to 〈◊〉 or deny them Nor to extenuate them Nor undervalue them Nor tax them with want of other gifts The duty of the person gifted 2. To prefer such before others to choose them for their gifts Reasons against choice of ungifted persons The duty of the person chosen c. 2. Of excellency of the body by old age and the honour due to the aged 3. Of excellency by outward gifts as riches Nobility c. Reasons for honouring such How they must be honoured Fourthly excellency by benefits conferred Benefactors are fathers Rules for conferring of benefits The duties of the receiver VVE said at the beginning in the explication of this precept That those duties which belong to any propter rationem 〈◊〉 excellentiae by reason of any special excellency may be referred hither and we did distinguish the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the excellency of the person from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 power and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 principality and government for the former may be without the other two there may be excellency of gifts in some who yet have no authority nor power conferred upon them nor are put into any place of government and in some they do all concur as in good princes and governours Now where there is the first viz excellency of gifts though they have not power or principality there is an honour due to such by vertue of this commandment for honour is nothing else but testimonium excellentie a testimonie of that excellencie which is in another and therefore such ought to be honoured though they want the other two Dignitas sometimes signifies a state of dignity and honour and sometimes onely the merit or worth of the person whereby he deserves honour and dignity though he have it not Of the former we have hitherto spoken and the honour due to persons so dignified of the honour due to such as have onely the latter we are now to speak And according to this two fold consideration of dignity there are two degrees of debitnm duty to be performed which the Casuists and schools call 1. debitum legis and 2. debitum 〈◊〉 1. A legal duty or that which is required by law which cannot be denied to the party without injustice and to which a man may be forced such is the duty owing to parents Masters Tutours Ministers Princes and Magistrates of which hitherto 2. The other is due in honesty and though there be no compulsion to perform it yet if we would be such as we ought before God this duty must not be neglected such is the duty of honour which we owe to all men for their gifts of the minde body or fortune c. This being premised we come to those that have excellency separated from dignity who yet in regard of their excellency are to be honoured And here according to the threefold good there is a threefold excellency 1. Of Minde as knowledge c. which they call excellentiam doni excellency of gifts 2. Of the body as old age 3. Of fortune or outward estate as Nobility riches c. 4. To which we may adde the applying of any of these to others for their benefit whereby men are said benefacere to do good or become benefactors As when by the gifts of the minde from those that are gifted or from rich men by their estate or aged men by rules of experience we receive good they become then benefactors to us and so an honour is due to them from us co nomine for that cause 1. For the gifts of the minde They are called fathers who excelled others in any such kinde of excellency Thus are they called fathers in scripture that have the gift of invention of arts as Jubal who invented musick So likewise Joseph was called Pharoahs father for his wisdom and policy and art in governing Egypt And such gifts as these are called by the Schoolemen Gratiae gratis datae graces given freely by the spirit of God And upon whom these 〈◊〉 are bestowed they are to be reverenced and honoured in respect of the giver and the end for which he gives them which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the profit of the whole body And though these gifts be in some that want the true love of God which is that gratia gratum faciens the grace which makes a man accepted of God as a son and that the most able and sufficient men be not allwayes the most religious yet there may be use made of his gifts and his 〈◊〉 endowments must have honour for vaspropter donum the very vessel for the gift must have respect 1. The reverence to any such is first freely to acknowledge that to be in him which he hath and commend it and praise God for bestowing it on him as if he had imparted it to our selves and pray that God would increase it in him and make it become profitable to others Not to think it a derogation to our selves to honour him that hath it not to be of their minde that say Qui auget 〈◊〉 famam detrahit suae that he which honoureth another detracts from his own worth It was not Ezechiels opinion in commending Daniel for his wisdom as in that speech Art thou wiser then Daniel nor of Saint Peter that commended Saint Pauls Epistles and acknowledgeth a great measure of high and abstruse wisdom to be in him especially considering that Saint Paul had reproved him to his face Nor of Saint Paul concerning the other Apostles when speaking of James John and Peter he calls them pillars of the Church Nor of Saint John Baptist in the commendation of Christ not worthy to loose the latchet of his shoes And this is to be
Docilitas Diligentia 2. About instruction Instruction helps the natural and infused light so doth prayer and reading the word c. The Scholars duties answerable to these The particular duties of a Teacher The duties of those that are to be taught The resultant duties of both CHAP. VII Page 365 Of honouring spiritual fathers in the Church The excellency and necessity of their calling Four sorts of ministers in the Church 1. The thief 2. The hireling 3. The wolfe 4. The good shepherd whose duties are 1. To be an example to his flock 1. In himself 2. In his family The peoples duty answerable to this 2. To use his talent for their good Rules for doctrine and conversation The peoples duty 1. To know their own shepherd 2. To obey and follow him 3. To give him double honour 1. Of reverence 2. of maintenance CHAP. VIII Page 373 Of fathers of our country Magistrates The duty of all towards their own country God the first magistrate Magistracy Gods ordinance Power of life and death given to kings by God not by the people Addition 31. That regal power is only from God proved out of the authors other writings The ends of Magistracy 1. To preserve true religion 2. To maintain outward peace Magistrates compared to shepherds in three respects The duties of the supream power viz of Kings and of inferiour officers The duties of subjects to their Prince CHAP. IX Page 383 Of fathers by excellency of gifts The honour due to them is not debitum justitiae as the former but debitum honettatis 1. Of those that excell in gifts of the minde The honour due to them 1. To acknowledge their gifts Not to envy or deny them Nor to extenuate them Nor undervalue them Nor tax them with want of other gifts The duty of the person gifted 2. To prefer such before others to choose them for their gifts Reasons against choice of ungifted persons The duty of the person chosen c. 2. Of excellency of the body by old age and the honour due to the aged 3. Of excellency by outward gifts as riches Nobility c. Reasons for honouring such How they must be honoured 4. Excellency by benefits conferred Benefactors are fathers Rules for conferring of benefits The duties of the receiver CHAP. X. page 391 That this law is spiritual The duties of Superiours and Inferiours must proceed from the heart Special means conducing to the keeping of this commandement Signes of the true keeping of it CHAP. XI page 396 The second part of this Commandement a promise of long life Reasons why this promise is annexed to this Commandement How this promise is made good Reasons why God sometimes shortens the dayes of the godly and prolongs the dayes of the wicked The Exposition of the sixth Commandement CHAP. I. page 400 Why this Commandement is placed in this order How it coheres with the rest Of unjust anger the first step to murther how it differs from other affections Of lawful anger Unlawful anger how prohibited The degrees and fruits of it The affirmative part of the precept to preserve the life of another The life of the body and the degrees of it The life of the soul and the sinnes against it The scope of this Commandement CHAP. II. page 404 Of murther in general The slaughter of beasts not prohibited but in two cases Of killing a mans self diverse reasons against it Of killing another many reasons to shew the greatnesse of this sinne The aggravations of this sinne from the person murthered CHAP. III. page 407 The restraint of this Commandement 1. That Kings and Princes may lawfully put malefactors to death That herein they are Gods ministers Three rules to be by them observed Their judgement must not be 1. Perversum nor 2. 〈◊〉 patum nor 3. Temerarium 2. That in some cases they may lawfully make war In a lawful war is required 1. Lawful authority 2. A just cause 3. A just end And 4. A right manner Addition 32. Of the causes of a just war Some other cases wherein a man may kill and not break this Commandement First for defence of his life against sudden assaults Inculpata tutela Secondly by chance and without his intention CHAP. IV. page 412 The extent of this Commandement Murther committed 1. Directly 2. Indirectly A man may be accessory to anothers death six wayes A man may be 〈◊〉 to his own death diverse wayes Of preserving life CHAP. V. page 414 Of the murther of the soul. Several sinnes against the life of the soul. How 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be accessory to the death of his soul. This sinne may be committed both by them 〈◊〉 have charge of souls and by private persons That this law is spiritual according to 〈◊〉 third rule CHAP. VI. page 417 The fourth rule of avoiding the Causes of the sins here sorbidden Of unjust anger and the fruits of it It consists of 1. Grief 2. Desire of Revenge The effects and fruits of it 1. Towards Superiours Envy The causes of envy the greatnesse of this sin 2. Towards Equals 3. Towards inferiours The suppuration or breaking out of anger against Superiours 1. By the eyes and face 2. By the tongue 1. by murmuring 2. tale-bearing 3. backbiting Against Equals by 1. dissention 2. brawling 3. railing The fruits of anger in Superiours 1. Threatning 2. Scornfulnesse The last fruit of anger viz. murther of the hand CHAP. VII page 421 Of the means against anger How to prevent it in others How in our selves Anger must be 1. Just in regard of the cause 2. Moderated for the measure 3. We must labour for gravity 4. For love without hypocrisie The vertues opposite to unjust anger 1. Innocency 2. Charity In the first there is 1. The Antidote against anger which consists in three things 2. The remedy in three more How charity prevents anger The fruit of charity Beneficence 1. To the dead by burying them 2. To the living And that first generally to all Secondly specially to the faithful Thirdly to the poor by works of mercy Fourthly to our enemies CHAP. VIII page 424 Rules for the eradication of unjust anger 1. To keep the passion from rising 4. Rules 2. After it is risen to suppresse it How to carry our selves towards those that are angry with us 1. To give place 2. To look up to God 3. To see the Devil in it Of the second thing in anger viz. Revenge Reasons against it If our anger have broken out Rules what we must do Of the act viz. requiring one injury with another Rules in going to law The sixth rule of causing others to keep this Commandement The Exposition of the seventh Commandement CHAP. I. page 428 The scope and order of this Commandement Of Marriage The institution and ends of it explicated out of Genesis 2. 22 23 24. Married persons are 1. to leave all others 2. to cleave to one another Rules for those that are to marry Duties of those that are married
Concerning that which Aristotle hath in his morals it must be acknowledged that he meant de 〈◊〉 non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod fieri debuit else he is to be called back to his de Rep. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. It is expedient for little children to be drawn from evil speeches and sights which may hinder their proceedings in vertue and it is his rule further that it is necessary to teach them assoon as may be all things that are good Lastly against the Orator standing at the bar and pleading for his fee to excuse a lewd young man his own serious 〈◊〉 are to be alledged Refrenanda 〈◊〉 est c. maxime haec aetas a libidinibus voluptatibus arcenda est This age meaning youth is most 〈◊〉 to be kept from lusts 〈◊〉 pleasures And in another place he is of a flat contrary opinion to his first Qui adolescentum 〈◊〉 ignosciputant 〈◊〉 falluntur propterea quod aetas illa non est impedimento 〈◊〉 studiis They are much 〈◊〉 that think way should be given to the licentiousnesse of young men because that age is no let or hinderance to good learning In the Scriptures there are two places that discover some to be of the same opinion 1. Pharaoh being requested by Moses that the Israelites might go with their children to worship the Lord makes a scoffe at the motion and saith Not so go ye now that are men as though religion pertained not to children 2. In the Gospel when children were brought to Christ to blesse them the disciples not onely forbade them but rebuked them that brought them as if Christ and children had nothing to do with each other For the first we see that Moses stands stiffely to his proposition and 〈◊〉 not accept of Pharaohs offer for the elder except the younger might go also For the second our Saviour opposeth his disciples and commandeth them not to hinder but to suffer and further their coming to him telling them that the kingdom of heaven belonged aswell to them as to elder people pronouncing those accursed that should keep them from him or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lay a stumbling block before them by ill example That instruction is most necessary for children may be proved out of the Law 1. The Law was not onely given in respect of those of riper years but to the younger sort and that to cleanse their wayes as the Prophet David speaks 2. The Jews observe that there is mencion made of children three times in the Decalogue and of these three places two of them are directly set down for 〈◊〉 children in duties of Religion as in the observation of the Sabbath and honouring Parents one in each Table 3. Again God in the same Law gave commandment to Parents to inform and 〈◊〉 their children why the Passeover and other religious ordinances were commanded Yea though children shall not ask of their Parents yet God layeth a charge upon them to see their children instructed in his Laws And whereas many hold it not material or to be regarded what children do and that they are not to be examined and censured for their childish acts though wanton and wicked the Holy Ghost confutes such people by the Wise man who saith 〈◊〉 semi is suis as some translation hath it even a childe is known by his doings whether his work be pure and whether it be right 2. And as God would have 〈◊〉 instructed in his Laws so if when they are taught 〈◊〉 admonished they refuse good counsel it will fall out that such as are evil affected and obstinate he means to destroy as in the case of Elies sons who hearkned not to the voice of their father because God would 〈◊〉 them and of the fourty two children of the city of Bethel who were devoured by Bears for mocking the Prophet Elisha Whereas on the other side God gives a blessing to such children as are willing to be instructed in his fear and the wayes or his commandments 3 To this the Hebrew proverb may be added There are to be seen in 〈◊〉 souls of all sizes that is death the reward of sin seizeth upon the young as well as upon the old and the young as the old shall be judged by their works I saw the dead saith saint John small and great stand before God and they were judged according to their works 4. Again from the gospel Exemplum dedi vobis I have given you an example saith our Saviour of whom the Divines rule is Omnis actio Christi 〈◊〉 nostra est Every action of Christ is for our instruction And he hath left an example and president for children in that at twelve yeers of age he was found in the Temple with the Doctors both hearing and asking them questions and so submitting himself to Catechizing 5. When the chief Priests and Scribes were sore displeased at the children that cryed Hosanna to our Saviour he approved of their song of praise and quoted a text for their justification out of the Psalms Out of the mouth of babes and 〈◊〉 hast thou perfected praise and upon that act of theirs one saith Non minus placet Hosanna puerorum quam Hallelujah virorum The Hosanna of children pleased Christ no lesse then the Hallelujah of men 6. In the gospel Christs charge to saint Peter was not to feed his sheep onely but his lambs also and his lambs in the first place because the increase of the flock depends chiefly upon the forwardnesse and thriving of the lambs for they being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and looked to lesse pains will be taken with them when they come to be sheep 7. When thou vowest a vow saith the Preacher defer not to to pay it All stipulations and solemn promises must be performed assoon as we can But in our Baptism we made a vow to learn the fear of God therefore we are to perform it in the prime of our youth and the rather because whereas by the direction of our Saviour the disciples were to teach and baptize yet in singular favour to the children of the faithful this priviledge is given that they first may be baptized and then taught 〈◊〉 saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because God hath set it in the second place do not thou set it in no place It should be first therefore as soon as may be Saint Augustin saith Quare 〈◊〉 Magister extrinsecus 〈◊〉 sit intus To what purpose is it to have an instructer or teacher outwardly if he be not within also And 〈◊〉 when we come to age there is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a casting off and rejecting of government but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a change of the governor Seeing then that children must have teachers and governors within them before they be freed from Tutors and governours without them it is necessary that we begin to teach them betimes
thing required in every law and so in this is the manner how it must be done which by learned men is much dilated We will reduce them all to three things We are to do it 1. Toti 2. Totum 3. Toto tempore or Semper 1. Toti as Jacob said to Rachel you know that with all my power I have served your father and no doubt but he would yeeld as much service to God as he did to Man 2. Totum with our whole souls and bodies we must endeavour to keep the whole Law not as Naaman did keep it by halfes but as Noah who did all that the Lord commanded him about the Ark. 3. Toto tempore not for a time onely but all the dayes of our life Noah was 〈◊〉 tempore justus righteous all his life and Abraham was juvenis senex idem the same man in his age that he was in his youth Now for the Reward or Punishment which are the two other things required in a law it stands thus That if a man break one part of the law the commanding part it is impossible that he should escape the other part the sanction which bindes over to punishment Therefore God hath taken order that though men can over-reach the law in one part that is in contemning it yet on the other part punishment shall over-reach them So saith S. Augustine Aut faciendum aut patiendum quod debemus we must either do what we should or suffer what is due And this was known before the giving of the law That God was righteous and the people wicked It was the confession of a wicked Egyptian King And both reward and punishment were set before Cain If thou do well shalt thou not be accepted And if thou doest not well sin lyeth at the door Like a savage Bear or Mastiffe-dog or a Blood-hound So long as thou keepest within doors that is as the Fathers expound it as long as thou livest thou mayest happily escape punishment for thy sin but whensoever thou goest out of the doors out of this life then vae tibi he will flye upon thee then this Blood-hound will never lose the sent till he have brought thee to perdition and destruction More directly for the Reward it s to them that doe well 1. For temporal benefits in this life Because Joseph feared God the Lord made all things prosper under his hand 2. And secondly for eternal benefits felicity after this life Enoch was 〈◊〉 to everlasting life because he walked with God For punishment t is to them that do evil First temporal punishment in this life as we see in the case of Adam Eve Cain and Josephs brethren but especially in Pharaoh which made him cry out as we heard before Justus est Dominus c. The Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked It was his sin drew those temporal plagues upon him 2. And secondly eternal punishment in the life to come So we read of the Spirits in prison for being disobedient in the dayes of Noah who preached repentance to them so that they were condemned for transgressing the law of God preached by Noah CHAP. XVI That the moral Law of God written by Moses was known to the Heathen 1. The act or work was known to them as it is proved in every precept of the 〈◊〉 yet their light more dimme in the 1. 2. 4. 10. S. Pauls three rules of Pie sobrie juste known to them 2. They knew the manner of performance Toti Totum Semper 3. They knew the rewards and punishments AND thus we see that Gods written Law which is Natures Law hath all those conditions that any Law should have For this Law which was before Moses was nothing else but Moses's Law in the hearts of men as if a man would get a thing by heart that is not written For what Laws then they had from GOD they kept in their hearts by tradition But now peradventure they will say that these Laws and the four Rules appear onely in the Scripture and were observed by the Jewes and those mentioned in the Scripture onely but other Heathen took no notice of them nor used them by the light of Nature and therefore think themselves not bound to them but are at liberty to use or not use them To this we say that by the writings of the Heathen themselves it appears that they had these rules written in their hearts and received many of them the son from the fathers ascending even to Noahs sons Sem Ham and Japhet though in some of the Commandements it may not seem so plain as in the rest for in every Commandement they introduced some corruptions of their own heads and declined diversly from Gods Law First for six of the Commandements it is manifest as the 3. 5. 6. 7. 8 9. the more obscure are the 1. 2. 4. 10. 3. For the third Commandement It was a law among the Egyptians Perjuri poena capitali plectentur let the perjured be punished with death as Diodorus Siculus reporteth And it was the law of Rome in the 12 Tables 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 swear not rashly And Sophocles saith that when an oath is taken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the soul will be more cautions to sin against God and to injure man 5. For the fifth Homer saith of one that had a misfortune that it came quia parentes non honoravit because he honoured not his parents 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he would not render the duty of a childe to his father therefore his dayes were not prolonged and another saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 live well and nourish thy parents in their age And Menander saith that he which honoured his parents shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 live long and happily And for superiours Charondas said in his laws 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the neglect of our aged parents is extremity of wrong 6. For the sixth there is no question every Nation held it as a Canon of their Law Homicida quod fecit expectet Let a murtherer expect losse of life as he deprived another of it and therefore they all punished murtherers with losse of life 7. For the seventh it was the saying of Licurgus Fuge nomen Moechi si mortem fugies Avoid adultery so shalt thou avoid untimely death and Stephanus out of Nicostratus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that will live in this city and not dye let him abhor adultery And Menander censureth adultery as a sin disgraceful 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because the price of it is death 8. For the eighth Demosthenes against Timocrates alledgeth plainly the Lacedemonian law in the very words of this Law Thou shalt not steal And He siods precent enjoyneth men not to possesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stolne goods but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 given by Gods providence 9. For the ninth it was one
inexcusable having all the parts of the Law within them written in their hearts to accuse or excuse them CHAP. XVII Questions about the Law 1. Why it was written by Moses seeing it was written before in mens hearts How the light of Nature became Divine three causes of it it was deserved in three respects Why the Law was given at this time Why onely to the Jews All the four parts of a Law are in the Law written 1. The Act. 2. The Manner 3. The Rewards 4. Punishments 2. Whether any can keep the Law How God is just in requiring that which we cannot perform An addition about power of keeping the Law Evangelical Adam lost his ability not efficienter but meritorie God alwayes gives or is ready to give power to do what he requires if we be not wanting to our selves How Christ hath fulfilled the Law how we keep it by faith 3. Why God promises life to the keeping of the Law if we cannot keep it NOw here a question may be made If the law of Moses were thus written in their hearts before to what end was it given them or what needed God afterwards to have written it in Tables of stone We answer the reason was because the former law though it were whole in Paradise yet afterwards by Adams fall it was broken into shards and fragments all to pieces and afterward every piece was broken smaller and smaller so as the light of Nature thereby grew dimmer and dimmer And therefore lest it should be clean put out because the writing in the heart would not be sufficient but daily decayed it was necessary that it should be written in tables of stone and set before the eyes of all that by daily viewing it it might be brought again into their hearts If it be questioned again how it came to passe that these laws of Nature were blotted out and how the light thereof came to be dimmer and dimmer we answer that the reasons are three 1. Because men did what they could to blot it out themselves 〈◊〉 intelligere men would not understand and the reason why they would be so ignorant was because when they had done ill and communed with their own hearts they found presently an accuser in them so that not daring to look into themselves when they had done ill they would not be checked and as S. Augustine saith facti sunt fugitivi a cordibus suis they became fugitives from their own hearts Therefore to cure this evil it was expedient when they had put it out of their hearts that the law should be written to be ever in their sight that thereby it might be brought back again into their hearts unde fūgerunt from whence they had driven it 2. Because as Christ said there came a Super seminator another Sower the Devil who sowed tares false principles in their hearts as Eritis dii cognoscentes 〈◊〉 malum ye shall be as gods knowing good and evil and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bonum est quod prodest that is to be counted good that doth us good and the like Now thesetares overgrowing and overmastering the good wheat it was fit that the good seed should be sowen again and that it might not be corrupted again it was necessary that the Law should be delivered in Tables of stone to remain ever to be looked upon and not forgotten 3. Thirdly God inflicted the punishment of blindnesse upon them as S. Augustine saith Lege infatigabili spargit 〈◊〉 paenales caecitates super illicitas cupiditates when men went after their own lusts and neglected the light of nature which God had written in their hearts and would not cherish it it pleased God to send upon them the spirit of slumber and giddinesse And thus having spoken of their knowledge let us now see their practise And by this they deserved the losse of the light of Nature three wayes 1. In respect of God Because whatsoever things or Arts they invented or whatsoever else they understood they attributed not to God but to their own industry sacrificing to their own nets as the Prophet And as S. Paul professing themselves to be wise and therefore as he saith they became fools and had the reward of their folly God gave them up 2. Again whereas the goodnesse of every action should be for the end all their actions were either for a wrong end or none at all As the Epicures end was for pleasure The Platonists ob praxim politicam for policy The Stoicks for the action it 〈◊〉 Officium propter 〈◊〉 or propter virtutem doing their dutie for their duties 〈◊〉 vertues own sake none for the glory of God But we know that Officium est propter quiddam altius officio for something more excellent then then the duty it self that is for the glory of God For he saith My glory will I not give to another But they robbed God of this glory 3. Lastly whereas God is no 〈◊〉 offended yea more for the breach of the 〈◊〉 Table then of the second and in the second Table more with Adultery then Theft they go another way and set down great punishments for Thefts and such things as are committed against themselves or concern them but when they come to blasphemy and other sins that are injurious and derogatory to Gods honour they regard not them nor set any or at least little punishment upon them as if they concerned not them at all In respect of Men. Take the second Table in which is contained the duty of Parents and Children They were so unnatural that they did sacrifice their own sons and daughters to Devils And for Children though they were undutiful to Parents and releeved them not yet they had their Corban for it a child might neglect his duty towards his Parents if he vowed to bestow a gift on the Temple For stealth and robbery that was accounted no sin their Law bare them out as in Sparta it was but Tu quoque fac simile do thou the like And for Adultery they allowed their nagas libidines extravagant lusts their abominable feasts to Venus and their Stewes to maintain them In respect of themselves They practised and delighted in Gluttony and Drunkennesse which was accounted no sin but a vertue and used after their sacrifices insomuch as Saint Augustine saith of them they did mensuras bibere sine mensura drink measures without measure and it was accounted a commendable thing among them No marveil then if in these respects all those things considered that God plagued them with blindnesse and darknesse for such intollerable abuse of that light they had Thus mans heart being an ill Custos or keeper of the Law and ignorantia ignorance being made poena ignorantiae the punishment of ignorance and so the Law being almost blotted out it was necessary it should be written so as it might abide for ever When God had made an end of communing with
fiery furnace without hurt either to their bodies or garments was so terrified and astonied that he repealed his former decree and published another and that a sharp one against them that should 〈◊〉 Gods Name The like did Darius upon the supernatural and powerful preservation of Daniel in the Lions den And so we read that the people were astonied at the mighty works of our Saviour Power breeds terrour then 3. The last is his omniscience No sin that we commit but he takes notice of them My sinnes saith king David are not hid from thee When Moses saw no man by he was bold to kill the Egyptian But when he perceived that some were privy to it he feared and said surely this thing is known There is no creature but is manifest in his sight for all things are naked and open before him In respect therefore that he knoweth our transgressions our fear is to be fixed on him And this putteth a difference between the fear of God and the fear of man which they call malum diuturnitatis custodem an ill keeper of continuance for the fear of God is bonus diuturnitatis custos a good keeper of it And now according to the first rule for exposition of the Decalogue we are to see in this what is commanded and what forbidden 1. Here are commanded both the fears servile and filial 1. The first the School-men call timorem servorum servile fear such fear as servants shew to Masters a fear of punishment and this is a good fear though it be ignorantly condemned by some True it is that the Apostle saith that the sons of God have not received the spirit of bondage to fear but the spirit of adoption whereby they cry Abba Father the spirit of bondage is inferiour to the spirit of adoption yet that spirit is better then the spirit of Belial or that of slumber of which the Prophet speaks whereby mens eyes are closed It is a maxime that actio perfecta non recipitur nisi imperfecte primo there is no perfect action but at first it is imperfect and is perfected by degrees It is a good thing to be a son yet it is better to be a servant a door-keeper in the house of God then to dwell in the tents of ungodlinesse better to be a hired servant then a prodigal son It is good to be in Canaan in the land of promise but in the mean time it is better to be in the wildernesse then in Egypt So fear and spare not fac saith S. Augustine si nondum potes amore justitiae at timore poenae do it if not for love of goodnesse yet for fear of punishment and his ground is out of a place in Deuteronomie cap. 5. Nothing brought the Jews to the love of God but the terrour they conceived out of the strange sights before them yet God wisheth that they might have such a heart in them alwayes that they would fear him yet this was but a servile fear procured by the strange sights at the deliverie of the Law 2. The second they call timorem filiorum filial fear This they illustrate by an example from the son of a poor man that hath a reverend fear not to offend his father though he be assured that he can do him neither good nor hurt And these two fears are distinct and different The first ariseth from the fear of punishment and this from love and may be called reverence This is the fear which the Psalmist calleth clean and endureth for ever and thus we perfect or work out our salvation with fear and trembling The reason why though we may and ought to obey God out of love yet it hath pleased him to command fear is threefold 1. To overthrow the vain sp culation of some erroneous people that dream of an absolute perfection in this life The Wise man saith Beatus qui semper pavit happy is the man that feareth alway And either there is no perfection in this life or else fear is superfluous he that cannot fall need not fear But because in this life there be degrees of perfection and though we have obtained perfection of parts that is all vertues and graces required in a Christian yet there are several degrees of perfection wherein we must still be growing for a childe though it have all the parts of a perfect man yet it hath them not in that degree of perfection which one of yeers hath attained to therefore this fear is alwayes necessary None stands so fast but he may fall and therefore must alwayes fear 2. Inasmuch as the children of God often feel in themselves a feeblenesse in faith a doubt in hope coldnesse in prayers slownesse in repentance and a debility in all other pious duties in some more in others lesse according to the measure of the Spirit communicated to them as it was in King David therefore fear is necessary to recover themselves and he that looseth it not his heart shall never be hardened nor fall into mischief as the Wise man intimates in the place before cited Fear is a good preservative for the heart though all other duties fail yet if fear continue we shall never need to despair Saint Bernard saith I know it for a truth that for the keeping continuing and 〈◊〉 of the vertues and duties which God hath commanded there is nothing more profitable and available then fear when the grace of God is with us and when it is departed so that ther 's nothing left but fear yet this fear wil never leave us or let us rest till we have made our selves fit to receive it again si deficit timor deficis et tu if fear decay thou decayest with it c. when we have recovered the grace that was lost fear will preserve it for fear of a relapse will make us more circumspect Saint Jerome calls it Custodem omnium virtutum 3. Because the excellent duty of love the effect of feare might not fail and grow carles In the Canticles the Spouse fell asleep with her beloved in her arms when she awoke her beloved was gone in her bed she sought him but found him not so that if there be not a mixture of fear with love it will grow secure and fall a sleep and lose her beloved Therefore that we may be sure to keep our love awake when we think we have Christ in our armes there must be a mixture of fear with it So for these three reasons fear is necessary even for them that think themselves in a perfect estate And withall Solomon tells us the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom so did his father before him And the same Solomon concludes his book of the preacher with fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the end of all and the whole duty of man And in another place he saith it is fons vitae The
he particularly exacts the dutie from five severall sorts of men in one Psalm that are there mentioned as more especially bound to God 1. They that wander in the wildernesse and are harborlesse and in distresse and want and are relieved 2. They that are at the point of death and are restored to life and health 3. They that are in prison and are delivered 4. They that are delivered from shipwrack 5. They that are preserved from the hands of their enemies These several sorts of men as he there speaketh when they cry unto the Lord he delivereth them out of their distresse and therefore he often reiterates this and saith Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnes and declare the wonders that he doth for the children of men And this deliverance by prayer hath three effects whereby God is glorified 1. When an humble minded man upon his prayer finds this deliverance he is thankful and glad 2. By this sinners seeing Gods goodnesse in hearing the prayers of his servants shall be converted 3 The mouth of all wickednes shall be stopped By all these wayes prayer brings glory to God If then prayer bring such glory to God and that without it God is like to be defrauded of a great part of his honour 2. It concerns us necessarily to practise it and that not onely in respect of God but of our selves too Our Saviour sheweth this by the parable of the widdow and the unjust judge where her importunity prevailing with a wicked judge shewes a majori how powerful prayer is with God a father of tender mercies and that we ought to pray allwayes and not faint And therefore having a care that we should know how to pray he himself who never did any superfluous act and who is our advocate and daily intercessor with God set down a form to our hands to instruct how to pray daily In the use whereof that comes to minde which Chrysostom observes in his first book de orando Deum out of Dan. 6. 10. where bodily death being set before Daniel if he prayed during thirty dayes on the other side tanquam si as if the forbearance for that time would be the death of his soul he chose rather to hazard his life then to neglect his daily custome In the Law besides the observation of the Sabbath there was a morning and an evening sacrifice Which was a type and is explained by the Psalmist to be prayer Prayer as incense in the morning and lifting up of hands which is nothing else but prayer for the evening sacrifice The fathers have for the most part written largely upon the necessity of this duty and call it Clavem diei et seram noctis the key to open the day and the bar to shut in the night Saint Chrysostom calls it signaculum diei the seal of the day out of the Apostle who saith that the creatures are good being sanctified by prayer else not and so it is a seal to confirme a blessing of the Creatures for the day following And in this respect it is said that our Saviour blessed the loaves by looking up to heaven that is by praying as also the meat at supper by blessing it be fore and singing an hymne of thanksgiving after And this is no new thing but a custome as ancient as Abraham as the Jews record who continue it still the chief of the family first takes bread and blesses it by prayer and then breaks it and the last thing is to take the cup and then to give a second blessing this being so holy a practise the whole Church of the Jews to our Saviours time observed it as a thing most necessary from which custome Christ translated the use of it to his own supper The Apostle fits all the rest of the spirituall armour to some speciall part as to the head the breast the feet but specifies no part for prayer because it is to cover all over and to make all the other armour useful Therefore the fathers upon that place of Epes 6. 13. call it Armaturam 〈◊〉 the armour of all other most necessary as if all the other were of no more strength then if we were naked if we put not on this And they stile it also flagellum demonum the Devils scourg Athanasius is confident that the bare but faithful recital of this ejaculation Exurgat 〈◊〉 Let God arise and let his enemies be scattered will make all the devils in hell to quake And Maximus another father affirms that he ever found this verse hast thee O God to deliver me make hast to help me O Lord effectual to deliver him from any temptation And Saint James prescribes no other remedy for afflictions then this Is any among you afflict d Let him pray even when humane hope fails yet 〈◊〉 for that which is impossible by our selves is possibile per alium possible by God to whom we pray And indeed it hath been ever of such power that it hath wrought miracles 1. In the ayre By it Elias the Prophet shut up the middle region that no rain could come down for three years and six moneths and he prayed again and the heavens gave rain c. 2. If we desire to see the like in other elements we may in Fire by the same Prophet for he by prayer brought down fire which consumed the captain and his fifty men 3. In the Earth At the prayer of Moses the earth opened and swallowed up Corah Dathan and Abiram with their company 4. In the water At the prayer of Moses the red sea divided it self and the waters were a wall to the children of Israel and returned and covered the host of the Egyptians 5. And this efficacie it hath wrought not onely in the elements but in heaven also At the prayer of Josuah the Sun and Moon stood still 6. In putting to flight earthly powers also At the prayer of Moses when he lift up his hands Israel prevailed David stayed the plague By it Hannah of a barren womb became fruitfull The Ninevits escaped the severe judgements of God examples are infinite but these seem lesse because it hath power over spiritual powers death and hell and sathan 7. It hath power over death Ezechias having received a message of death by prayer obtained fifteen years addition to his life I have heard thy prayer and seen thy tears c. 8. Over hell and the devill Our Saviour tells his Apostles that by prayer and fasting the devills were to be cast out 9. And lastly which is the most remarkable it overcometh God himself we read that Moses used no other means but onely Prayer yet God saith Let me alone that my wrath may wax hot as though while Moses prayed God himself could do nothing against the Isrealites or as if Moses by prayer had offered violence to
And when God would exalt Abraham from being father to the children of a bond woman Agar by whom he had Ismael to be the father of Isaac and the faithful and thereby to establish the Church in his house then because he was more glorious he gives him a more glorious name Thou shalt no more be called Abram but Abraham And the like we see in Jacob whose name was changed to Israel a name of more dignity when he had prevailed with God Now if a good name or good report be among private men so highly valued that as Solomon saith it is better then a precious ointment which was in great esteme for pleasure in those dayes yea then silver or gold or any precious treasure which was most esteemed for profit and if it be true which the Heathen said interesse famae est majus omni alio interesse that the weight and interest of a good name goeth 〈◊〉 all 〈◊〉 yea further as a Father saith Fama pari passu ambulat cum vita it goeth cheek by joul with life it self Of how pretious and high esteem ought the name of God to be and how highly ought we to reverence and esteem it seeing as the Psalmist saith God hath magnified his name and word above all things Therefore his glory and name is the chief thing we should look unto Thus we see what 's meant by the name of God The second is what is understood by taking the Name of God Non assumes c. The barrennesse of the English language makes the expression of the Original short for the word whence it comes signifies to take up and hath a double use to which may be referred whatsoever is borrowed in this sence 1. It is applyed to a standard or banner and hence comes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nose Armiger 2. To a heavy thing as a burden whence comes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 massae pondus and these two kinde of things we take up or remove if a thing be glorious as a standard we take it and lift it up and if a thing be necessary and useful to us though it be heavy and weighty we take it up so that the one is in rebus gloriosis the other in rebus necessariis and if a thing be neither glorious nor necessary we let it lie the first includes the duties of praise in all that take Gods name upon them the second refers to the duty of swearing which is a weighty thing and under these two are comprehended all other takings of his name 1. It is in gloriosis as Moses called his Altar erected and set up Jehovah-nissi that is the Lord my banner or standard from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ness vexillum Or as the plate made for Aaron wherein was to be graven Sanctitas Jehovae Holinesse to the Lord was to be taken up and placed upon Aarons forehead visible as a thing glorious as the badge of a noble man is lifted up upon the shoulder of a servant to be seen This lifting or taking up of Gods name is a thing glorious As the taking of a name by a childe from a father is honourable It was an honour and a priviledge to Ephraim and 〈◊〉 to be called after their grand-father Jacobs name so is it an honor to a woman to have her husbands name It was all the ambition of the women in the Prophet that desired one husband to be called by his name And we see still that in marriage the woman taketh her husbands name and it is such a glory to her that she is content to loose her own name for his And it is our own glory that from Gentiles we are called Christians Of which Esay in sundry places foretold Every one shal be called by my name saith God for I have created him for my glory And Thou shalt be called by a new name And again And shall call his servants by another name All which was fulfilled in the primitive Church when the Disciples were first called Christians The glory of Christ was taken up by Christians when they were called by his name Now being Gods servants and servants taken up his banner or badg the duty commanded is that we must like good servants do all to his glory as the Apostle speaks God can receive no profit by us but glory we may give him and therefore all our actions must refer to it We must not be so ambitious as they were in the dayes of Peleg that sought by building Babels tower to get themselves a name for that is Gigantomachia which is bellare cum Deo to fight with God It is not good to contest with him in this kinde You may read the successe of their enterprise God overthrew their plot even by the confusion of that which should have gotten them their names the tongue Nor must we set a face or false colour upon our own evil acts under pretence of Gods glory as did Absalom If the Lord will bring me again to Jerusalem I will serve him here was a fair pretence when treason lay hid in heart against his own father So 〈◊〉 makes religion a 〈◊〉 proclaims a fast for the murder of Naboth These are so far from the glory of Gods name that they are wicked abuses of it Thus Gods name is to be glorified within us now for the outward duties 1. Having taken this name upon us we must not be ashamed of it nor afraid to confesse it Judah of whom came the name to the Jews was so called the word signifying praise because his mother said she would confesse or praise God so must we wear our name of Christians and Gods servants to the glory of God and Christ and not be ashamed of it The reason Christ himself giveth Whosoever shall deny me before men him will I also deny before my father And though the Church of Philadelphia was but of small strength and its works were not great yet because it had not denyed his name Christ promiseth to set open a door for it and other things as you may read But any that shall receive the name and mark of the beast wear any others livery he shall drink of the wrath of God and shall be tormented with fire and brimstone 2. There is another degree beyond that of not denying his Masters name which every good servant is bound to and which his master expects from him that is standing for his name when it is blasphemed consessing and defending it to the death as the Martyrs have done Because there was none that offered to defend Gods name when judgement was turned backward and justice stood afarr of truth was fallen in the streets and equity could not enter therefore he thereatens terrible judgement he puts on the garments of vengeance saith the 〈◊〉 3. Lastly we must not forget Gods name but often make mention of it The Prophet David threatens a
dung of our solemne feasts that is he will make them as odious to us as dung and we shall loath them Or as it is in another place he will punish it with fire unquenchable The next thing is the kinds of sanctification viz publick and private 1. It must be sanctified in the publick assembly there must be Sacra Synaxis a holy Convocation The heathen man could say that a good thing done and performed dy one is well but better if by many by a whole parish or City together publickly The reason is 1. in respect of God that he might haue the more glory when he is praised in the great congregation and publickly acknowledged before all the world which was the chief end of the 〈◊〉 institution of this day by such publick meetings the day is sanctified to God for to sanctifie a day and to call a solemn assembly are all one as we may see in Joel 1. 13 and 2. 15. 2. In respect the church that all may be known to professe the same faith and to be in one bond of obedience when they all meet in one place at the same time on the same day to glorifie God 2. That the means of sanctification as prayer may be the more effectual for vis 〈◊〉 fortior If the prayers of one just man be so effectual and prevalent with God much more when many meet together their prayers offer a holy violence to God and as it were besiege heaven 3. in respect of the common-wealth the heathen could 〈◊〉 that this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 meeting together in one place was the means of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it maintained amity And the refore they which bring in tyranny seek to divide and separate men and forbid all meetings and assemblies by that means to cause them to be disjoynted as it were in their affections But God in his service will have men to meet together because they shall be of one minde This 〈◊〉 sanctification There is also private sanctification From those publick meetings which are nundinae sprituales spiritual faires every man must carry away commeatum 〈◊〉 provision for his soul for the informing his understanding reforming his will and regulating his affections and in this we must do as men do at a market provide for our use all the week following And being thus stored and provided that great end will be gained that God may be sanctified that is that he may be magnified as the 〈◊〉 expounds it And as the chief end of this day is that God may be sanctified that is magnified so the subordinate end is that we may be sanctified by the duties which we must then performe The sabbath was a signe between God and his people that they might know that it was he that sanctified them That so they being sanctified might bring forth the fruits of sanctification as Christ saith that he sanctified himselfe for our sakes not for his own Job 17. 19. Now God sanctified it 1. By appointing it to a holy use as the 〈◊〉 was sanctified from the womb 2. By separating it from other dayes for things or persons sanctified are senered from common vse and 3. by giving a special blessing to the holy duties of his worship on that day performed And thus he makes it holy or sanctifies it And as God thus made the day holy we must sanctifie our selves and then sanctifie the day as Hezekias said to the Levites sanctifie your selves and then as it follows sanctifie the house of God what God hath sanctified or made holy that we may reap the benefit of it we must sanctify our selves we cannot make it holy but keep it holy it is our duty to keep holy for if a thing be destinated to an use and be not applied to it it is 〈◊〉 We must not then make that common which God hath sanctified we are to apply it to the end to which God hath destinated it and use that holily which God hath sanctified The destination is from God the application must be from our selves When the instruments of the tabernacle were sanctified whatsoever toucheth them must be holy so here God having sanctified this day all that touch it that live and breath in it that behold the sun or light that day must be holy Now for the means of sanctification it is plain that we are sanctified by the holy Ghost and this sanctifying hath a resemblance to that of the Levitical sanctifying where nothing could be sanctified but it must have unctionem be anoynted with oyle a figure of the spiritual unction which is nothing else but the spiritual working of the holy Ghost in our hearts so that we must first looke whether we have this unction in us that is whether we have the holy Ghost by 〈◊〉 we must be sanctified which as it is the gift of God we have it not of our selves so God denyes it not to those that ask it as our Saviour speaks we must be fitted to receive it As it is God that gives it so he gives it not to any but those that are prepared to receive it that we may understand this we may take notice how the Holy Ghost is compared to fire now the matter must be prepared and gathered by us but it is God that gives the spark and makes it burne and when God hath kindled the spark it must be our duty to blow the spark and look it go not out Quench not the spirit saith the Apostle God will not give the spark it we do not prepare matter and though we prepare matter yet it will not burn unlesse God kindle the fire so that the holy ghost and by consequence sanctification is not got by following the devises of our own brain ye shall not do that which is good in your own eyes saith God but according to the prescript method which God hath set down we must gather matter for this heavenly spark which the holy Ghost must set on fire and this is done by attending to the duties of publick worship on that day for if any shall wilfully keep at home on that day though he be never so well occupied having no just cause of his absence from God house and yet thinks he pleases God the fathers of that ancient councel of Gangra have pronounced an anathema against him For the means to sanctification the special duties and acts wherein the sanctification of the day consists no other directions can be given then what we formerly gave for the means to attain knowledge onely we premise that which Saint Augustine saith of iteration that a man may say Domine scis quia dixi Domine scis quia 〈◊〉 Domine scis quia 〈◊〉 sum Lord thou knowest I have sanctified thy name because I have preached it Lord thou knowest I have spoken of it again and again Lord thou knowest I have been
it with the timber and stones of it But if they be reserved to the right use then a blessing follows God gives good encouragement and his promises never fail Bring ye al the tithes into the store-house that there may be meat in mine house and prove me now herewith saith the Lord of hosts if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it CHAP. XII The two last rules 1. The signes of keeping the day 2. Of procuring the observation by others The Conclusion THus much for the fourth rule concerning the means of keeping this Commandment There are two things more which are required by the two last Rules 1. The signes that the Sabbath hath been rightly kept 2. The procuring of the obsertion of it in others of which very briefly 1. Of the signes we need say little having already shewed in what duties the sanctifying of the day consists the performance of which are signes that this Commandment is kept In general these two signes manifest the same 1. Our careful frequenting the house of God that day for publick service and worship this we finde in Esay 66. 23. from moneth to moneth and from Sabbath to Sabbath shall all flesh come and worship before me saith the Lord. 2. Our private sanctifying the day in holy duties if every city be like mount Sion every house 〈◊〉 templi like a Temple and every man instar 〈◊〉 like a priest offering up the spiritual sacrifice of 〈◊〉 and praises to God 2. The last rule is for procuring the keeping of the sabbath by others This is Plainly expressed in the letter of the commandment Thou and thy son and they daughter c. And the stranger that is within thy gates Where we see the charge is given to the master of the family not to let the day be prophaned by any within his 〈◊〉 Examples we have for a family in Job who sanctified his sons and offered sacrifices for them For a publick person in the Commonwealth in Nehemiah who caused the gates of Jerusalem to be shut and would not suffer the Merchants to come in and sell their wares upon the sabbath day That which the father is to the family that is the Magistrate to the City as the one should command those of his houshold so the other is to look to them that are within his jurisdiction that they neglect not their duties in this point Nehemiah testified against the people for breaking the sabbath God makes the magistrate Custodem utriusque 〈◊〉 an overseer that men breake no commandment either of the first or second table And he is to take care aswell for the keeping of the sabbath as the maintenance of the Minister He is to call to account those that are under him if the sabbath be broken What evil thing is this that you do and profane the sabbath day Nehemiah commanded his servants and the Levits that no burdens should be brought into the City on the sabbath day and a strict charge is given to the kings and Princes of Judah concerning the observing of the day with a severe threatening if they sufferd it to be prophaned Jer. 17. 18. 19 20. c. Now to conclude when a man hath observed all these rules concerning the sabbath by his own practise and his care over them that belong to him he may in humble manner with Nehemiah after his care herein say to God Remember me O my God concerning this also and spare me according to the greatnes of thy Mercy Remember saith God in the beginning of this Commandment Remember saith Nehemiah in the end So should we end the sabbath and all our actions think of me O my God for good according to all I have done That I have with my family observed the sabbath that all we have been present before God to hear all things that are commanded by him that I and my house have served the Lord. Lord remember me in this Yet let us not be proud of that we have done for at the best we are but unprofitable servants And we have our tenebrosa intervalla fits of darknes too the best of us And in this case as we may say Lord remember us so also we are to say with the same Nehemiah and spare us according to thy great mercy It will be well with us if we can be able to say remember me in hoc in this thing if we have done well but withal we must say spare me in this and that offence committed by me and in the defects that are in my best performances spare me in thy goodnes spare me in the greatnes of thy mercy spare me for the merits of our Saviour That which is here added in the former edition concerning some sins forbidden in this precept is 〈◊〉 here inserted contrary to the Authors method and the same things are formerly handled more fully in their proper places according to the first rule of extension that the negative is included in the affirmative Finis precepti quarti THE EXPOSITION OF THE Fifth Commandement Honour thy Father and thy Mother c. CHAP. I. Of the sum of the second table The love of our neighbour How the second table is like the first 1. Of the Act love How christian love differs from other love The fruits of it The parts of it 2. The obiect our neighbour Who is our neighbour Degrees of proximity and order in love 3. The manner of love as thy self This must appear in 1. The end 2. The means 3. The manner 4. The order THis fifth Commandement beginneth the second Table It is called by some the Table of justice As the other taught us the love and duty of man to God so this the love and duty of one man to another which gives us a Testimony of Gods love towards us that he made man after his own image like to himself and allows him a Table for his good and that with more precepts then that of his own The sum or contents of this Table is delivered Mat. 22. 39 out of Levit 19. 18. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self In which place of Saint Mat. Our Saviour saith that the second is like the first for indeed when we come to the second Table we depart not from the love and honour of God it being no lesse in the second then in the first nay rather somewhat more The similitude mentioned by our Saviour consisteth in this that whereas he hath taken order for his 〈◊〉 love in the first so he hath taken order for the love of man for 〈◊〉 in the second and though it come not so directly to God yet indirectly it doth for our love to man must be grounded uponour love of God we must love him in and for God therefore the Schoolmen make but one Theological vertue of love to
kindred or cohabitation but Mercy that 〈◊〉 a man to be a Neighbour and seeing every man even an enemy may be an object of mercy therefore every man even an enemy is a Neighbour And it is not Christs exposition onely but the Law saith the very same in the case of a stray ox or asse If thy brothers ox or asse go astray c. which brother in another place is said to be even an enemy for there is in the same Law 〈◊〉 23. 4 5. where it is said If thy enemies ox or asse go astray c. He that is the object of our love is expressed in Scripture by three words which are distinguisht in the Hebrew as well as in the Latine 1. Amicus a friend or fellow 2. Proximus a neighbour 3. Frater a brother which is used by S. John constantly in his first Epistle In all which are motives and grounds of love For 1. In brethren there is identitas naturae c. identity of nature which makes all creatures love one another one beast delighting in another of the same kinde and little children delighting in their image in the glasse shew this 2. Now as this similitude is a 〈◊〉 of love so is identitas originis identity of beginning therefore it is a natural thing for brethren born to love one another because they have the same original and nothing so unnatural as one brother not to love another 2. Between Friends love is the cause of love for it will be mutual and reciprocal 〈◊〉 amoris magnes love is a loadstone to love Our Saviour knew this well and therefore in the Commandment of love he expresseth it is thus That ye love one another it must be amor mutuus mutual love Another ground of love among friends is societas periculi 〈◊〉 when men partake of the same danger or deliverance as Captives under the Turk delivered by the same ransom This ground of love we have who being all in danger of hell and become captives of Sathan are delivered by the same ransome by Christ. This makes friendship and causeth love in men that never saw one another before 3. Now for proximus it is defined ab usn of the use and benefit that one hath by another God hath not given to any man such gifts but that he needeth the gifts of his brother God hath not given all his gifts to any one and therefore there is none but hath need of another and therefore 〈◊〉 utilitas use and utility are the grounds of propinquity and make men become proximi neighbours 4. Lastly there is 〈◊〉 instituti both amongst 〈◊〉 friends and neighbours all do tendere ad idem tend to one and the same end that is to be partakers of the blessednesse which the angels of God enjoy for this is institutum 〈◊〉 proximi 〈◊〉 amici nostrum omnium the end and scope of my brother neighbour friend and my self and of all of us These then are the reasons of Gods using those words and the reasons also of our love Now in this object of our love proximus our neighbour there are two things to be 〈◊〉 1. That we must beware we take not the sin of our neighbour for our neighbour for that which hath interposed it self and indeed is not de 〈◊〉 is sin and 〈◊〉 proximus a sinner It is sure that Omnis peccator quatenus peccator odio habendus est every sinner as he is a sinner is to be hated and omnis 〈◊〉 quatenus 〈◊〉 diligendus every man as he is a man is to be beloved Therefore Sic homines diligendi ut non errores diligamus diligendi quia facti sunt non quia fecerunt we are to love men so as not to love their errours and so to love them that are made as that we love not that they do so to love that which God made them as not to love what by sin they made themselves The reason is because we have all one 〈◊〉 or end we do therefore love one another because we shall be partakers of the same soveraign good of eternal happinesse and sin being an hindrance or obstacle to that end how can we love that which hindreth from that whereto we tend He that loveth iniquity hateth his own soul. And so we may say he that loveth the sin of his brother hateth his soul. 2. We must know that in proximitate neighbourhood there are degrees of neernesse whereby one is neerer then another In which respect that affection which causeth us to remember some before others in our prayers is not from any corruption of our nature because omission of duty to one is a greater sin then to another for the duty to a father is greater then to a stranger But as in natural things there is major 〈◊〉 a stronger motion where there is major 〈◊〉 a stronger inclination so where there is a greater duty owing there God will have a greater affection Because the earth is to come 〈◊〉 to the Center then the water therefore it hath majorem gravitatem a greater degree of 〈◊〉 to draw it thither and so where the greater actions or duties are required there greater affections or a greater measure of love which is a weight pressing to the 〈◊〉 is necessary not onely charitas but also ordo charitatis cadit sub 〈◊〉 as the 〈◊〉 determine As therefore the affection of love is required so our love must be ordered as the Schools speak The demonstration standeth thus If wheresoever there is principium a beginning there whatsoever is 〈◊〉 principio 〈◊〉 to it is 〈◊〉 first and so consequently there is an order and so every thing as it is 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 off must first or latter be intended Now there are two causes or principles of Love God and our selves and therefore the neerer any are to these principles as some men are neerer to our selves as Fathers Mothers c. so are neerer to God by grace the more they are to be loved Let us see then this order in our charity that it may be ordinata charitas charity well ordered To which purpose it must stand thus 1. God 2. Our own souls 3. Our brothers soul. 4. Our bodies 5 The body of our neighbour or brother 1. God is to be loved especially and in the first place because he is that chiefest good by the communication whereof we are all made good So saith S. Augustine 〈◊〉 vera summa vita in quo a quo per quem bona sunt omnia 〈◊〉 bona sunt God is the true and chief life in from and by whom are all good things And as another Cum 〈◊〉 Deum 〈◊〉 in ipso 〈◊〉 by loving God we finde all things God is the universal nature to whom all things give place He must have the first place in our love as in policie the publick good is preferred before all private respects and therefore a good Citizen will be
Testimonium excellentiae a testimony of that excellency which we acknowledge in him above our selves of this Solomon speaks when 〈◊〉 adviseth not to meddle with a strang woman lest we lose our honour that is lest we lose the good reputation and esteeme we have in the 〈◊〉 of others and in another case he tells us that a peaceable man shall have honour and good respect with men for by a good opinion of men we testifie there is an excellency in them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they have some what more then we have and both the Apostles 〈◊〉 Paul and Saint Peter expresse this duty by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subjection or submission to be subject as we see Christ was subject to this father and mother in respect of his manhood acknowledging himself to be a child and so consequently thought some thing to be in them to receive this honour which was not in himself The 〈◊〉 will make this more plain In the case of Corah and his company they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron they would not give them honour God calls it afterwards a dishonouring of him and their 〈◊〉 was They were not more excellent then others all the congregation was holy and the Lord was amongst them Their thesis was All men are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Lord and therefore Moses and Aaron had no more excellency then the rest of the congregation But we see how God by a special miracle confuted their position for the example of all that in future times should exalt themselves against their superiours The contrary to this sinne of theirs is when men do acknowledge and confesse that there is not an equality but that some do excel them and that this excellency above them is not as the Poet speaks by chance but by the appointment of God that as in creation and generation he is the special father that gives us being so for our well by government that he is our special governour and that those above us are his instruments appointed for our preservation when we acknowledge this exellency in others and that it comes from God who hath imparted his gifts to them This is the first and the inward part of honour But now as God told Samuel concerning 〈◊〉 God and man look several waves for God looks on the 〈◊〉 which man cannot see it is onely the excellency which outwardly apears which we can take notice of and honour and so likewise the inward honour of the heart of which we have spoken is seen onely by God man cannot behold it and therefore besides the inward esteeme or estimate of anothers excellency there must be also some exteriour signe or testimony whereby we acknowledge it to be others and this makes the second part of honour 〈◊〉 honour Such was that which 〈◊〉 desired of Samuel though the kingdom were taken from him as Samuel well knew yet honour me saith he before the Elders of the people and before 〈◊〉 c. And such was that which the 〈◊〉 looked after viz. The 〈◊〉 places at 〈◊〉 the uppermost 〈◊〉 and greeting in the market place This is the second part of honour What this exteriour honour is and after what manner it is to be exhibited in particular is best known by the manner of the countrey where men live because it is not alike in all places every countrey hath not the same signes of honour Holy men in scripture have exhibited outward honour by several gestures or ceremonies which may be reduced to these seven heads 1. To rise up when a person of excellency which either by nature or analogie and proportion is our 〈◊〉 in presence Job accounted it as an honour done to him when the aged arose and stood up when he was in presence And Solomon a king thought fit to expresse his duty to his mother Bathsheba by rising up to her when she came before him 2. The uncovering or making the head bear was accounted a token of honour in use with the Saints and a dishonour to keep it covered as we may gather by the words of the Apostle 3. The bowing of the knee or all or part of the body When 〈◊〉 would have 〈◊〉 honoured he thought no way better for the people to expresse it then by bowing their 〈◊〉 to him He caused them to 〈◊〉 before 〈◊〉 Abrech that is bow the knee King 〈◊〉 in the place before quoted to adde the greater honour 〈◊〉 his mother bowed himself to her Jacob meeting his brother Esau bowed himself 〈◊〉 times to the ground a great expression of this duty And Ruth no doubt thought she honoured 〈◊〉 when she bowed her self to the ground before him So for the bowing of the head it is mentioned in diverse places in scripture to set forth this duty The 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 when they came before him bowed their heads and made obeysance These were signes of honour at the first meeting or salutation 4. A fourth expression is standing up not onely to rise before them we prefer in excellency but to stand up too we see the practize of it in the people of Israel Moses 〈◊〉 as a judge among 〈◊〉 but it is said that the people stood by him from morning till evening And 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 mayd when she went to attend upon king David was to stand before him The like did 〈◊〉 before 〈◊〉 And indeed it is the common expression of service 5. The next is to be silent in the presence of them we account our betters Job tells us that when he was in prosperity the Princes refrained talking in his presence and laid their hand upon their mouth Ths Nobles held their peace c. And in the same Chapter he saith unto me men gave eare and waited and kept 〈◊〉 at my counsel 6. The sixth is that when of necessity we are to speak we use words of submission It is Saint Peters note of Sarah her submissive speech to her husband she called him Lord. And the speech of Rachel to her father 〈◊〉 is a president of this kind for children to their parents 〈◊〉 it not displease my Lord that I cannot rise up before thee And of Josephs brethren for inferiours to men in authority Thy servant our father is in good health 7. The last is dispersed throughout the scriptures and comprehended under the word ministrare to minister and wait Luc. 17. 7. And it comprehendeth all such other duties of outward honour as are to be vsed by servants to their masters As our Saviour expresseth one in the masters command to his servant to make ready that he may sup And the maid waited on Naamans ' wife And so king Davids Generals are said to wait on him And Job in the place before mentioned saith that men waited on him in token of reverence and service to him so that when we
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a just thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is due by the rule of justice to superiours so that it cannot be forborn without injurie and injustice to authority we cannot keep this honour and obedience from them without injurie And therefore it is that Christ saith to the Pharisees Reddite Caesari quae sunt Caesaris render unto Caesar the things which are Caesars He uses the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reddite render or restore to shew that it is his own God hath imparted it if you keep it back if you give it him not you do injustice and wrong to him 6. The last is in regard of the expedience of it for your own good expedit vobis it stands you in hand so to do The Apostle saith They watch over your souls Now where honour is detracted and withheld there the care of preservation is also diminished and by reason thereof the power of wickednes and the impudence of naughty men is increased and the more our estate is troubled the greater is our unquiet and vexation Therefore better it is that due honour be given to them the better to encourage them to apply themselves to our preservation Besides they that deny this to them that are of right invested with it and take it to themselves set themselves against God and go about to build another Babel which is nothing but bringing in of Anarchie and confusion This dothargue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a giant like nature such as was in them that would build a tower whose top might reach to heaven such do indicere bellum Deo bid defiance to God and therefore the Apostle saith expressely that such as resist lawful powers do resist the ordinance of God and so do fight against God himself and thereby bring damnation upon themselves So that by weighing these reasons we may happily be brought to obedience CHAP. IIII. The duties of superiours in four things Addition 29. Of the end of government and whether the people be above their governours The manner how they must govern whether honour be due to one that is evil Whether he must be obeyed in malo Of disobeying the unlawful commands of a Superiour Add. 30. Of Obedience in things doubtful VVE will now handle the duties of superiours in general These two things are alwayes joyned together in Gods Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to have worth and to be honoured or esteemed worthy and therefore S. Chrysostome makes it an axiome upon that place 1 Tim. 5. 17. They that rule well are worthy of double honour The Honour as he saith is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a reward of the service they perform Therefore that honour may be due to them they must mereri be worthy and deserving men and worthy they are if they perform the part of fathers and mothers The neernesse of the two significations of the word in the original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cabed which signifieth both weight and heavinesse and honour and of the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is honor and 〈◊〉 or múlct and of the Latine word honoro and 〈◊〉 to honour and lay a burden sheweth that God would not that any should have honour unlesse they have meritum desert nor this meritum desert without a charge therefore they must have meritum and by consequent honour may be justly required by them at our hands 1. They are to know that they are Gods ministers for so S. Paul calls them and S. Peter saith They are sent by God And that as they are his Ministers and that he imparted some of his power and honour to them so they must know that their office is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Lord and that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ministers of God And therefore David saith Tibi canam Jehovah I will sing unto the Lord of mercy and judgement as they have received power from God and part of his honour which he hath put upon them so they must do all for God and their care must be that those under them may be Domini the Lords people as they are his Vicegerents They must follow the rule which Jehosaphat made for his Judges Take heed what ye do for ye judge not for man but for the Lord. Therefore whatsoever they do must not be for their own will and ends but in and for the Lord. We must not be of Jezebels opinion that Ahab could not be a king if he could not command and have what he should desire though it were wrongfully for this is a wicked maxime and semen omnium 〈◊〉 the seed of all evil Nor of Ahabs that hated Michaiah the son of Imlah the Prophet becavse he prophecied nothing good concerning him though it were the will of God that he should so do When men do not acknowledge that their authority is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for God but blot that out and look onely at their own will then breaks in all injustice But they must know that God is not so unwise as to give them authoritie against himself and therefore they must not have an eye to their own but to Gods will for they are but his Ministers 2. Superiours must know that one end of their authority is the good and benefit of those that are under them as they are first to look to God and his honor whose Ministers they are so in the next place they must look to the good of those over whom God hath set them Their honour is conferred upon them not meerly for themselves and their own benefit but also for those that are under them not onely 〈◊〉 praesint but ut prosint to profit them that are under them as well as to be over and above them and this is it that makes their place the more weighty King David was taken from the sheepfold to be king and why ad pascendum Israel that he might feed and govern the word imports both Jacob his people and Israel his inheritance So children are not for parents but parents for their children The Heathen by the light of nature onely saw this that superiority was 〈◊〉 for inferiority and the Prince for the benefit of the people For God at the first considering that children were unable to help themselves by reason of their inability and defects when they are young and the danger that might befall them not onely in their infancy but even before they are born ordained a duty to be shown and an office to be done for them even before they are born there is a care of them to be taken by parents when they are in the womb before they are able to give them honour and for this care of parents they are afterwards to exhibit honour to them when they are able And under this head is that the Apostle mentioneth They must nourish and cherish and account them that are under
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 parendi my readinesse to obey makes me innocent when his 〈◊〉 comands make him guilty Concerning this point of obedience to superiours the resolution of all Casuists and other Divines is That as absolute obedience is due to God alone in all things without exception because his will is the rule of what is just so to other Superiours obedience is due in all things which are not evidently contrary to the Command of a higher power or evidently without the limits and bounds of their authority Thus Thom. 2. 2. q. 104 a 5. Cajet ibid. The Summists in verb. Obedientia Cessius de justitia jure lib. 2. cap. 6. dub 4 5 6. Valent. 2. 2. disput 7. q. 3. p. 2 c. whence it follows that the highest power under God being in Kings and Princes therefore Obedience is due to them in all things which are not evidently forbidden by God So that Subjects are not to busie themselves about the thing commanded to know particular reasons for the lawfulnesse but if after moral diligence fit to be used in all actions of weight it appear not unlawful or forbidden by God they ought to obey and the reason is evident because the Superiour hath his commission from God and so his commands are to be looked upon as proceeding from God whose Deputy he is and therefore they are sufficient ground and warrant for our obedience God having commanded us so frequently in Scripture to obey our King unlesse it appear cleerly that he exceeds his commission and that his commands are crosse to the immediate commands of God I say cleerly and evidently because in things doubtful we ought to obey the command of a superiour being a determining of the doubt for though its true that no man ought to do any thing with a doubting conscience for whatsoever is not of faith is sin Rom. 14. yet the Command of a Superiour is sufficient cause to remove the doubt he being Gods deputy to resolve us in doubtful cases so that his command is a resolving of the doubt after which we ought no longer to doubt For as S. Bern. saith Ipsum quem pro Deo habemus in omnibus quae non sunt aperte contra Deum tanquam Deum audire debemus Him who is in Gods stead to us we ought in all things which are not plainly against God to obey as God himself And S. Augustine saith that a man may justly obey an unjust Prince commanding a thing doubtful he instances in war si quod jubetur vel non esse contra praeceptum certum sit vel utrum sit certum non est if either it be certain that his command doth not crosse any command of God or uncertain that it doth For herein we more certainly obey God himself when we obey the certain commands of his Deputy whereas obeying a doubtful command of God we certainly disobey his Deputy and by consequent God himself and therefore according to that rule in dubiis pars tutior eligenda est in doubtful things its best to go the safest way It s more safe to obey then disobey for it is certain the thing is commanded by Gods Deputie and uncertain that God hath forbidden it as is supposed in all doubtful cases and so by disobeying we run into a certain sin of disobedience to God in his Deputy to avoid an uncertain sin against God immediately Besides in dubiis melior est conditio possidentis possession is a good plea when the case is doubtful and therefore the superiour being in possession of his authority ought to be obyed in what he commands though it seem doubtful to us for Quisque praesumitur esse bonus donec constet de contrario and so the commands of superiours must be presumed to be lawful till the contrary plainly appear he that is not against us is for us Luke 9. 10. So that they take a wrong course and perplex their consciences that say this is unlawful for where is it commanded in Scripture when as they ought to say this is lawful being commanded by my superiour for where is it forbidden in Scripture For though the command of a Superiour cannot make that lawful in it self which is forbidden by God yet it may enable me in a doubtful case to do that lawfully and acceptably which without such a command had been sinful and lyable to punishment Conscience indeed is a judge immediately under God yet as Alex. Halen saith it is so onely in such things as are immediately commanded or forbidden by God but in other things which God hath left to authority it must be guided and regulated by authority and this doctrine is so necessary in praxi as Suarez well notes for the preserving of government and preventing of sedition that publick peace cannot otherwise be maintained Neither let any say It is against my Conscience for what is onely doubtful is no more against the Conscience then with it and when the scale hangs even as in doubtful cases if the weight of authority will not turn the scale either the authority is made very light or there is some fault in the beam as one saith Nay suppose they do not well in commanding yet so long as there appears no sin in obeying Tolle quod tuum est vade as S. Bernard saith take what is thine and go thy wayes thou shalt not be accountable for the evil that follows The excellency of Obedience is to look at Gods will represented to us in his substitute which may make the same act which it may be was sinful in him that commands become an act acceptable and rewarded by God in him that obeyes CHAP. V. The first Combination between man and wife The special end of Matrimony implied in three words 1. Conjugium 2. Matrimonium 3. Nuptiae The office of the husband 1. Knowledge to govern his wife 2. Conjugal love 3. To provide for her and the family The wives duties answerable to these officia resultantia Duties arising from these The duties of Parents and children The duties of Masters and servants Now concerning particular duties between superiours and inferiours first we shall handle the duties of those which constitute a family and then of others where in the family both Heathen and Christians make three relations or combinations 1. Of the husband and the wife 2. Of the Parent and the child 3. Of the Master and the servant 1. The husband and wife stand first in order 1. because the husband is paterfamilias the father of the family and the wife materfamilias the mother of the family 2. because God kept this order in the Creation he made man and wife before sons and daughters 3. Because not onely children and servants but Magistrates and al other superiours arise from this primitive combination between man and wife and the first subjection or subordination of an inferiour to a superiour from whence al other have their rise is that of the
parts 1. fide in faith or fidelity 2. Prudentia discretion Both these vertues are joyned together by our Saviour in that question who is a faithful and wise servant whom his master may make vuler over his houshold c. 1. The command of the master is to be performed faithfully the servant must frame himself thereto The Heathen man could say that he which is a servant is totus alterius wholly his whom he serveth Whatsoever he is able to do he must do it for his masters good The fathers upon the words of our Saviour No man can serve to masters give this for one reason of that speech Quia servi officium est infinitum Because the servants duty is infinite It is as much as he can do to serve one master as he should and he is totus heri wholly that masters whom he serves also his time all his strength is his masters and he cannot divide it to another He shall work all day in the field and at night his service is not ended the master saith not to the servant gird thy self and dresse thine own supper but gird thy self and make ready my supper and serve me according to the example of Abrahams servant who though he had travelled far and had meat set before him yet he would not eat till he had done his masters busines Opposite to this faithfulnes in a servant are two ill qualities 1. Purloyning 2 Lying For which servants heare ill in the Comedian 1. Saint Bernard saith De Domini substantia ne 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 sed transeant per te ne aliquid haereat in digitis Let not thy masters goods passe from but by thee left something stick to thy fingers This purloyning is utterly condemned by the Apostle And so is wasting of that which is committed to a servants charge and the ordinary means of it is set down by our Saviour eating drinking and keeping ill company 2. The other opposite is lying We see that the false suggestion of Ziba was very prejudic al to his Master Mephibosheth and though the first lie of Gehazi which he made to Naaman got him somewhat yet the last to his Master Elisha brought a leprosy upon him and his 〈◊〉 ever The Prophet tells us that God will destroy all them that speak leazing And therefore he would keep no servant in his house that should tell lies There are three other opposites from which the Apostles S. Paul and S. Peter would have servants free 1. Slothfulnesse 2. unwillingnesse 3. eye-service 1. And the first of these is a part of the first unfaithfulnesse 〈◊〉 he that is idle not faithful in using all his strength and mispending his time is a kinde of robbery And therefore it is that S. Paul counsels men not to be slothful in businesse The Heathen man would not have a servant to be glis a 〈◊〉 but acurate agere to do their work accuratcly as the word in Hebrew imports they must follow Jacobs example in his service The sleep departed from his eyes he could not sleep for the care he had to his Masters businesse as the careful woman that lets not her candle go out that is she sits up late upon action to do her Master service And therefore we know that the Master called that servant evil and flothfull that used not his talent well To 〈◊〉 up this take the Wise mans judgement upon both diligent and slothful The hand of the diligent shall bear rule but the slothful shall be under tribute 2. The second thing that a servant should be free from is an unwillingnesse to do his duty For there are some that serve indeed but how they serve with an ill will and so do their work by halves And in so doing they do very unwisely for seeing that serve they must it bing not every mans 〈◊〉 to be a Master they were better to do it cheerfully then to be forced to it and so lose their just reward and commendation Therefore it ought to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a cheerful will and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the heart as the Apostle counselleth as if they served the Lord not being responsores 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 answerers again or replying or giving word for word but be like the Centurions servant that when his Master said to him do this and he did it 3. The last is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eye-service or a deceitful diligence which must be far from servants Not to do their work but while their master stands over them and no longer assoon as their Masters back is turned then to give over This the Apostle calls eye-service and condemns it exhorting servants to obey with singlenesse of heart 〈◊〉 fearing God and he gives diverse reasons for it as that they shall by this means adorn the Gospel and that they shall receive from the Lord according to what they do whether they be bond or free and lastly that besides their reward by 〈◊〉 with their Master they shall by their hearty service receive the reward of an inheritance in heaven So much of their sidelity Now to their discretion 2. The Philosopher makes a distinction of two sorts of servants one that can do nothing but what his Master dictates him can go no further then he is directed and the other that hath forecast in himself to know what is to be done and can prevent his Masters commandments The first are but as lippi oculi blear eyes and but that they must see by them their Masters had as good be without such as have them The other are such as the Psalmist speaks of their eyes are upon their Masters hands they can perceive to what their Masters will enclineth to they know their Masters will and what he is best pleased with and what his humour is most enclined to And though he have this wit yet if either with him that had the Talent and knew his Masters humour he neglecteth to do his businesse or with the wicked Steward he employ his wit to his own advantage and not to his Masters benefit in either of these cases he breaks the rule of obedience They follow not the examples of prudent servants such as were Jacob to Laban and Joseph to 〈◊〉 they do not prudenter with discretion It is said of Joseph that all he did prospered under his hands The Hebrew word is significant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prudenter egit or 〈◊〉 intelligentia he did all with prudence and wisdom and so all prospered for of wisdom comes prospering and therefore the same word signifies both 2. The 2 d rule or duty of the Master is not to govern aspere 〈◊〉 or rigerously but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to justice and equity It was Gods command under the law to Masters Thou shalt not rule over thy servants with rigour and
help concoction Physick is to be applied something must be given from without to comfort and help nature So we must conceive in teaching every one hath not thos enatural parts which are sufficient nor is every mans supernaturally and extraordinarily inspired and qualified by God but must have teaching and instruction by the ministrie of man from without every man must not look to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taught immediatly of God but must in ordinary course have a teacher which doth not adde any thing to the soul but minister to it and help it as Physick doth not adde to nature but ministers to it to comfort and strengthen it though indeed they that are instructed by men may be said to be taught of God as they are said to be healed of any infirmity by him which are cured by Physick And in this we say that the natural light workes which is lume n naturale and that lumen infusum is supplied and holpen by the teacher of whom we are to conceive that he is not the giver of infused light but the minister that supplies matter as oyle whereby the light burns which he doth partly by making things plain by similitudes and examples and sometimes by Antithesis And not onely so but being able to see how every conclusion depends upon the premises and how the medium ought to be disposed with the subject and praedicate in every proposition is able in the same course whereby he learnt to shew others how to bring things into method and order In which two things 1. by making dark things known and discerned Secondly by a perspicuous disposing and ordering of things confused teaching cheifly consists and by these the light is holpen whether it be naturally or supernaturally given This being premised we will come to mutual duties or qualities of teacher and hearer 1. The first is they must be perswaded as Saint James saith That every good gift is from above and cometh down from the father of lights and therefore that this light of knowledge cannot be had but desuper from above as John Baptist told his schollers A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven Neither knowledge nor any good thing els can be had but from God and therefore we must be thus perswaded That all the light we can have is from Gods light as the Psalmist hath it in thy light we shall see light we have no light of our own but as the Apostle speaks God who commanded the light to shine out of darknes hath shined in 〈◊〉 hearts to give the light of knowledge and by this light being supernatural we shall be able to see further into mysteries then by the natural 1. The first means to attain to this light is by prayer To pray to God as the Apostle directs to enlighten the eyes of our understanding King David by praying to God to be his teacher attained to this praestantiam rationis scientiae this excellency in skill and knowledge that he professed himselfto have more understanding then all his teachers 2. Another means to come to this light is to attend to the word and statutes of God which as the psalmist saith giveth light to the eyes Hereby he professeth that he got understanding they were a light to his path And not onely to him that was a man after Gods own heart but to them also that were naturally ignorant they gave light and understanding to the simple We finde this true by experience for since the light of the Gospl came and was received into the world learning and knowledge did never so flourish either among the Grecians or Romans as it hath done in the christian Church The greatest lights that ever were in the world for all learning divine and humane have been christian Bishops and the truth is there is no excellent thing worthy to be known to be found in any Heathen Authors but the same or something more excellent may be had from the word of God 3. The third means is to follow the Apostles counsel Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light And what this sleeping is the same Apostle tells us in another place it is high time to awake out of sleep that is out of sinne If we mean to have this light we must forsake our evil wayes And indeed as the Book of wisdom speaks in malevolo intellectu sapientia 〈◊〉 habitabit wisdom will not enter nor dwell in a malicious soule Sinne must be removed This makes the difference between us and the fathers of the primitives times for albeit we have more means of knowledge then they yet they being holy men had this light more plentifully bestowed upon them then we have and far exceeded the wisest and learnedest among us Having thus shewen the mutual duties that concern both Teacher and Scholar for attaining of knowledge we are to proceed to that first duty of instruction already mentioned as it concerns the Teacher alone and the manner how he must instruct which may be gathered out of Solomons words Have I not written to thee three times so the vulgar Latine reads in counsels and knowledge that I might make them know the certainty of the words of truth Where we see he made all known to them that is by reading to them and not onely so but also did write the same for them and that not once but often and not onely declared unto them what they must learn but counselled them also that is gave direction how to profit by hearing and reading so that the Teacher must both read to his scholers and write and give counsail and direction how to learn More particularly in his manner of teaching three things are to be observed 1. Facilitas to explain and make easie to them what he delivers Thus our Saviour that his doctrine might be better understood taught by parables And being thus prepared that as Saint Augustine saith Magister sit intus our master is within us we shall heare a voice behinde us as the prophet speakes saying this is the way walke in it when ye turne to the right hand and 〈◊〉 ye turne to the left This being done we shall know that it is not the teachers labour alone his building and watching is in vain his teaching without this lumen infusum is to no purpose and that the schollers study except God gives a blessing availes nothing and with his blessing dabit in somno he will give it in sleep In the first place therefore as we said before we must pray and that instantly that he will vouchsafe this lumen infusum that he will enlighten us 1. Our Saviour taught by parables which practise had been 〈◊〉 from Balaams and Moses time shewing things above sense by sensible things 2. Methodus order we see when Christ was to make it plain
hoc decipit qui ante tempus sapientes videri volunt ut jam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod non sunt quid sunt erubescere saith one many are deceived by this that they would willingly be accounted wise before their time and begin to counterfeit what they are not and are ashamed of what they are The conclusion of this point is that because as the Preacher tells us There is a time to keep silence and a time to speak and in that he placeth silence before speaking every one is to be a learner before he be a teacher We may see it in our Saviours example who was in the Temple among the Doctors how hearing first and then asking questions and both before he taught himself He that doth not take this course will in the end be forced to take up this complaint How have I hated instruction and my heart despised reproof And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me 3. A third duty of the teacher is Tueri to defend his pupils according to the sense of the word their name Tutores 〈◊〉 being derived from tueri It was our Saviours practise as in the case of his Disciples not fasting when Johns disciples and the Pharisees fasted And in their plucking of ears of corn on the Sabbath day As also for their not washing their hands when they did eat In all which cases Christ made their defence thereby shewing he would be ready to defend them in all matters wherein they did not 〈◊〉 1. The first duty of the Scholar answerable to this is according to the law of the Nazarite He must bring his offering as 〈◊〉 is able So did Hannah when she dedicated her son Samuel that he might not be 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 When Saul sent his servant to the Prophet he made shift to finde the fourth 〈◊〉 of a 〈◊〉 to give him Shall we come to the Prophet and bring him 〈◊〉 And Levi made a feast for our Saviour In a Council the Fratricelli were condemned for holding one opinion among the rest that our Saviour lived by begging and not of his own for he had of his own as we may gather by Judas bearing his bag 2. Another duty is to minister to his 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 Samuel did to Eli. And we read that Elisha though the eldest scholar yet poured water on Elias hands We 〈◊〉 that John Baptist sent two of his Disciples on an 〈◊〉 to Christ. And our Saviour himself sent his Disciples to make ready the passeover At another time he commanded his Disciples to provide a ship for him He also sent two of his Disciples when he was to ride into Jerusalem to provide an asse for him Lastly he sent them to provide victuals to eat So that the duty of ministring belongs to a Scholar 3. The last is 〈◊〉 officium Our Saviour being towards his end giveth charge to one of his Disciples that he knew was able to maintain his mother And not onely so but after his death some of them brought odours to embalm him Some bestowed a Tombe upon him and some buried his body So did the Disciples of John Baptist They buried his body And yet here ended not this 〈◊〉 officium for after Christs burial the Apostle forgate not his memory but spuke honourably of him Jesus of Nazareth was a Prophet mighty indeed and word before God and all the people shewing that death takes not this duty away from the Scholar to his Tutor he ought to speak honourably of him after death Besides all this there is a duty which all Scholars owe to Teachers though they be not under their charge If they be of that calling they are to honour them Sauls servant counted Samuel an honourable man and Gamaliel was honourable among all the people He was a Teacher of the Law and not onely those under his charge but all the people honoured him These things being performed that will come to passe which the Apostle aims at we shall have men faithful such as shall be able to teach others and the Universitie shall breed such as shall be fit to serve the Church and Common-wealth And indeed this was the end of the erection of schools and universities 1. To bring forth men able to teach in the Church 2. Men fit to govern the Common-wealth Of which we are now to speak CHAP. VII Of honouring spiritual fathers in the Church The excellency and necessity of their calling Four sorts of ministers in the Church 1. The thief 2. The 〈◊〉 3. The wolfe 4. The good shepherd whose duties are 1. To be an example to his 〈◊〉 1. In himself 2. In his family The peoples duty answerable to this 2. To use his talent for their good Rules for doctrine and conversation The peoples duty 1. To know their own shepherd 2. To obey and follow him 3. To give him double 〈◊〉 1. 〈◊〉 2. of maintenante ANd first of those that are to instruct and govern the Church These are called fathers The Apostle calleth himself a father And so they are called not onely by the Church of Christ but by Mitah an Idolater He hired a Levite to be a father and a priest The Idolatrous Tribe of Dan use the very same words they bid the Levite to come and be their father And because as was said before all paternity is originally in God and from him communicated to Christ whose fatherhood towards the Church is no other but as he is the onely priest and prophet of the new Testament and because God is fons omnis boni the fountain of all good therefore he must needs have this property of goodnes to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 communicative that others may partake of his goodnes and therefore he made the world by creating it at the first and not onely so but by a second creation renewed and restored all by Christ into whom they that are mystically incorporated are admitted to that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that coestial city or corporation where they shall be partakers of all that goodnes and glory which is in God And God having purposed to create the world for their purpose made it with three divisions or distinct places 1. Heaven to be his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or place of reward 2. Earth to be his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a worke house And thirdly Hell his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prison To the end that men exercising themselves here in this world which is the worke house according to the grace received and the talent given them might either be rewarded with eternal felitity in Heaven or punisht with eternal misery in Hell So that the earth being made for a place of exercise and Heaven for a place of reward the world was made for the Church and consequently all those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the natural to
order which was never 〈◊〉 though now it be neglected and though men ask the counsel of the Lawyer for their 〈◊〉 and of the Physitian for their bodie and follow their directions yet the Minister is not thought fit to 〈◊〉 them for their fouls but here every one can give counsel as well as the Minister 3. They must give the Minister honour double honour They which labour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which take extraordinary pains in the word and doctrine for the emphasis lies in that word let them be counted worthy of double honour 〈◊〉 the Apostle 1. The honour of reverence which extends both to our judgement and 〈◊〉 In our judgement by having a reverent 〈◊〉 of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 2. 29. honour them highly and then in our affection a singular degree of love is due to them The Apostle saith they must be 〈◊〉 highly in love We beseech you brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and 〈◊〉 you and to esteem them very highly for their works sake 2. The honour of maintenance Let him that is taught in the word communicate to him that teacheth in all good things faith the Apostle God threatens in Zachary that whereas he had broken one staff if the 〈◊〉 wages were not 〈◊〉 he would break both and what can then follow in the Church but Barbarifine and Ignorance and by consequence Epicurisnie and Atheisme When men are sick they can send for the Minister to comfort them then they think of Heaven when they must leave the Earth but when they are recovered there is no 〈◊〉 use of him or when they are in health they regard him not It is well expressed by the Prophet when there were great droughts or rains or 〈◊〉 weather they remembred God and called to him but when they had what they desired when they had got in their corn wine they rebelled against him But God protests against this dealing he wil not be so mocked Remember me in the dayes of thy youth and in thy wealth els 〈◊〉 shalt have no answer of me when the evil dayes come S. Augustine commenting upon the words before recited they which labour in the word and doctrine let them be counted worthy of double 〈◊〉 saith Scilicet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 obediant exteriora 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 sed et terr 〈…〉 This double honour is not onely to obey in spiritual things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to them in temporals For good 〈◊〉 of the word ought not to be 〈◊〉 with high honour onely but with earthly 〈◊〉 too that 〈◊〉 may not be 〈◊〉 sad and 〈◊〉 in the want of 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 their charge and may also 〈◊〉 in their 〈◊〉 obedience in 〈◊〉 matters 〈◊〉 not saith Saint 〈◊〉 that they which minister about holy things 〈◊〉 of things of the 〈◊〉 and they which wait at the Altar are 〈◊〉 with the Altar even so hath the Lord 〈◊〉 that they which preach the 〈◊〉 should live of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 ordinance not our benevolence We are not at our liberty but tied to it by 〈◊〉 and the minister hath power from God to demand it 〈◊〉 his own And thereupon it is that Saint 〈◊〉 speaking of Saint 〈◊〉 in this very point 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 surpata sed 〈◊〉 that though the Apostle chose rather to work with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and did not require milk from his sheep yet he told the 〈◊〉 that he had power to have taken it and that his fellow Apostles vsed this 〈◊〉 not as usurped 〈◊〉 as given them 〈◊〉 by God And 〈◊〉 it 〈◊〉 but reason 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apostle saith If we have so vn unto you 〈◊〉 things is it a 〈◊〉 thing if we reape your carnal things But to conclude this point The 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 honour performed is from the want of 〈◊〉 It was Saint 〈◊〉 hope of the Corinthians that when their faith 〈◊〉 his means would be 〈◊〉 And so 〈◊〉 it be of ours if your faith encrease we shall be crowned and 〈◊〉 and where this is wanting we cannot expect it Concerning the difference of Bishops and 〈◊〉 that they are 〈◊〉 orders and that the Bishop is superiour not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 and that by divine right the reverend author hath fully proved it in his 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 first in latine and lately translated into English wherein any 〈◊〉 man may finde full satisfaction And 〈◊〉 the power of the Priest or Minister of the Gospel in binding and loosing read a learned sermon made 〈◊〉 the Author on this subject on John 20. 23. published among his other sermons CHAP. VIII Of fathers of our country Magistrates The dutie of all towards their own country God the first magistrate Magistracy Gods 〈◊〉 Power of life and death givento kings by 〈◊〉 not by the people Addition 31. That regal power is 〈◊〉 from God proved out of the authors other writings The 〈◊〉 of magistracy 〈◊〉 To preserve true religion 2. To maintain outward 〈◊〉 Magistrates 〈◊〉 to shepherds in three respects The 〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉 power via of kings and of inferiour officers The duties ofsubjects to their Prince AFter the fatherhood of the Church order requireth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of those whom even nature and the Heathen by the light of 〈◊〉 have reputed and termed Patres 〈◊〉 fathers of the country which are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which sort the chief as hath been shewed are in Scripture called fathers as 〈◊〉 and the women mothers as 〈◊〉 a mother in Israel And because their 〈◊〉 is Pater 〈◊〉 God hath commended the countries care especially to every 〈◊〉 For this end it was that when God commanded 〈◊〉 to leave his fathers house he gives the country precedence and sets it before kindred and fathers house and we see what tears the people of God shed when they 〈◊〉 carried out of their own country into a strange land and when 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 required them to sing the Lords song in a strange land 〈◊〉 would not And 〈◊〉 hearing of the misery of Jerusalem and his country men sate down and 〈◊〉 On the other side when the Lord 〈◊〉 again the captivity of 〈◊〉 when the people were restored to their country they were so over joyed that they seemed to be in an extasie they were like to them that dreame they would scarce beleeve that which they saw And indeed a mans country and the good of it being bonum totius every mans good a general blessing it ought to be preferred before bonum partis a particular good every man especially the prince and Magistrate ought to have a chief care over it We see that when the body is in danger men are willing to endure the 〈◊〉 of a member opening of a vein or scarifying for the health of the whole We may see this care in the very Heathen both in word and deed as first what they say in matter of profit unicuique
which is the proper work of the Magistrate When there was no king in Israel every man did what was good in his own eyes which is proved by Micha's attempt making a Teraphim and by the robberie of the Danites Chap. 18. and the ravishing of the maids by the Benjamites Chap. 19. Therefore for defending from external injuries he must be custos 〈◊〉 tabulae keeper of both tables S. Augustine saith Reges si in suo regno quae bona sunt jubent mala prohibent faciunt non solum quae ad humanam societatem attinent sed ad divinam religionem If Kings command their Subjects good things and forbid them evil they do not onely that which belongs to the preservation of humane society but Gods service also And again In hoc sciunt reges a Deo praecipi 〈◊〉 Deo inserviant in quantum Reges Kings must know they are to serve God as they are kings They are then to be Gods servants as they are kings but not to exceed the power given them by God their supremacy must not extend to what God either reserved to himself or committed peculiarly to the Priests Vzziah took on him by his supremacy to burn incense in the Temple which belonged onely to the Priests but God stroke him with leprosie 〈◊〉 on the other side by his supremacy would order matters of Religion but how not as the former did or as a late King who would have whatsoever he proposed to be good Divinity but he commands the Priests and Levites to do what belonged to their office he usurps not their office but makes them do their duty and this is the supremacy which a Christian Prince ought to have Their care must be to provide for religion and Gods service to see all done by those to whom it belongs not to act themselves King Asa whose heart was perfect as the text saith removed not the high places He did jubere bona sed non 〈◊〉 mala King Ezekias did both And under this we comprehend that kinde of compulsion which we see in the Gospel Compellite ut introeant compell them to come in there must be foris necessit as ut sit 〈◊〉 voluntas a necessity abroad to make a will within In S. Augustines time there were divers Donatists that by compulsion were converted and thanked the Emperour for compelling them 3. Another part of the duty of a Prince is as he is the head of the People to be careful to feed them The Tribes of Israel tell King David that the Lord told him when he made him King That he should feed his people Hot histriones or canes but subditos as a Father speaks upon Hosea 7. 5. We have the description of a 〈◊〉 by Samuel at large He accounts all as born to be his drudges and slaves and the Wise man calleth such great oppressours and the Prophet evening wolves not Pastors and roaring lions He must not be of their mindes but like Aristides of Athens who was so careful of the Common-wealth that he used to wish that either his house were the Common-wealth or the Common-wealth his houshold So was it with Joshua his care was in the first place to divide portions for the Tribes and afterwards had his own portion Not like some Rulers that choose first and serve others last And Nehemiah though he had an hundred and fifty at his table and that the precedent governours had taken much money from the people yet did not take so much as he might for the space of twelve years together Now this provision must begin with care for the soul as Jehoshaphat did who sent the Levires thorowout the kingdom with the book of the Law to teach the people and to this end that there may be a perpetual supply of this food there must be a Naioth in Ramah persons educated as in Bethel in Mizpeh the schools for the Prophets and children of the Prophets from whence Teachers are to grow up one under other 2. The next care must be for the body Pharaoh laid up corn against a time of dearth And not onely so but he must send ships for forreign commodities as Solomon did To prevent and end injuries and contentions at home Judges must be appointed after Jehosaphats example Lastly to preserve them from forreign invasions he must with the same King set garrisons in his own cities and have captains and souldiers as he had in some cities of Ephraim taken by his father 1. The first duty of the people answering to these is as the Wise man counselleth 1. Fear God and the King 2. Not to meddle with those that are given to change that is with rebels and seditious persons who would change Laws Religion and Government There are divers shires and corporations in the kingdom and every of them have their several Magistrates and 〈◊〉 over them but they are all under one Prince like as the Kings of the earth are as so many justices of peace in several kingdoms all constituted by one God who is over all Now if any of these subordinate Magistrates rebell against their Prince he is a Rebel both to the Prince and to God and so are all that hearken to him or joyn with him Therefore as we must not obey Kings against God so must we not obey any inferiour Magistrate against kings ut omnia cooperentur in bonum that all things may work together for good as the Apostle speaks 2. In regard of their care over us we are to follow Christs example in obedience and to know that we are according to the right sence of his words not dare but reddere 〈◊〉 quae sunt Caesaris to render not to give to render his due for we know it is the rule of Justice 〈◊〉 reddendum quod suum est to render every one his own We have 〈◊〉 of theirs in 〈◊〉 hands and 〈◊〉 illicita 〈◊〉 dummodo quae sunt requirit it is no unjust demand in any man when he requires but his own As in regard that he secures out tillage he must have tribute out of our lands for keeping the seas peaceable he 〈◊〉 to have vectigal custome and in time of necessity and wars he must have subsidies Besides that which Nehemiah calls the governours bread 〈◊〉 3. The third duty of the Prince is in cases of appeale called Canon Regis or Regni to do justice to all It is justice that establisheth the Throne Saint 〈◊〉 saith just 〈◊〉 Regis pax est 〈◊〉 tutamen 〈◊〉 c. The justice of a King is the peace of the people and 〈◊〉 of the kingdom And Saint 〈◊〉 sine justitia magna 〈◊〉 nibil aliud sunt quammagna 〈◊〉 without justice great kingdoms are nothing els but great dens of theeves And in the administration of justice he must be careful ut osejus non 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 that his mouth transgresse
Moses So in another place when they enquired of the Prophets There are things too hard for some therefore they are to be resolved by them that have better gifts Thus much for the excellency of the minde 2. We come now to bonum corporis the excellency of the body Old age Canities venerabilis est gray hairs are to be had in reverence There is an 〈◊〉 law for it Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head and honour the face of the old man And the Prophet joyneth ancient and honourable in one 〈◊〉 And we may see that it was ever accounted for a blessing to that City that did enjoy the aged The Prophet reciting the benefits that Jerusalem should enjoy at the restauration hath this for one Old men and old women shall dwell in thy streets And it made Job at a stand he knew not what to think when he saw the wicked grow old Sure it is that among the curses which the man of God denounced against Eli this was one There shall not be 〈◊〉 man in thy house The Apostle therefore willeth that Elders should be honoured and intreated as fathers which honour consists in several duties that the younger sort must perform towards them viz. 1. When ancient men are in place to be 〈◊〉 and lay their hands upon their mouth and give them leave to speak the reason is given by holy Job because there is Wisdom with the ancient and in multitude of years is understanding Elihu being a young man Waited till Job spake and gave his reason I am young and ye are old I was afraid and durst not shew my opinion I said Dayes should speak c. The Philosophers rule was that when we have made our own demonstrations we must give way to indemonstrabilia the positions of old men without demonstration because they are grounded upon long experience The neglect of this was the ruine of 〈◊〉 who regarded not the counsel of the ancients but took counsel of the young men 1. Answerable to this is the duty of the aged First they are not to be 〈◊〉 centum annorum children of an 〈◊〉 years old S. Jerome translates it Elementarios senes Old men that were to learn their A B C as they have canum caput a gray head so they must have canum intellectum an understanding answerable And therefore it is said that honourable age is not that Which standeth in length of time nor that is 〈◊〉 with number of years but wisdom is the gray hair unto men and in another place O how comely a thing is judgement for gray hairs and for ancient men to know counsel 2. The second is assurgere to rise up before them in signe of reverence Thou shalt rise up before the 〈◊〉 head saith the Law because they are in a 〈◊〉 manner the image of God who is called 〈◊〉 dierum the ancient of dayes their hoary head is a crown to them even a crown of glory as the Wise man speaks and so they have a resemblance of eternity 〈◊〉 est vestigium 〈◊〉 old age is a print of 〈◊〉 There is 〈◊〉 temporis 〈◊〉 meriti an age of time and an age of merit and there are as S. Jude speaks arbores 〈◊〉 trees that begin to blossom in the end of harvest when 〈◊〉 fruit should be gathered such are true representatives of an old man without understanding but yet though they be such they are to be honoured for their years though they be not worthy 〈◊〉 pati to receive this honour yet it is meet for us hoc agere to give it to them They must not be such trees but Davids trees bringing more fruit in their age the older the more wisdom must appear in them 2. Answerable to this they must so live that their age may deserve honour The Wise man tells us how this may be The hoary head is a crown of glory but how if it be found in the way of righteousnesse and then as he speaks in another place The beauty of old men is their gray head The Apostle describes in particular six qualities that they should be endued with 1. Sobriety 2. Gravity 3. Temperance 4. Soundnesse in faith 5. Charity 6. Patience 3. The third duty is to provide for their ease for age brings Weaknesse therefore young boyes must not sit and ancient men stand God provided for the 〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉 after they were fifty years of age they were exempted from the service of the Tabernacle and yet had their allowance The Prophet Esay mentions it as a signe of great confusion and of judgement imminent When children shall presume against the ancient and the base against the honourable If we carry our selves thus to aged persons sic fiet nobis so it shall be done to us when we come to years and sic fiet nostris so shall others do to our fathers and to our children when they grow old Old age is a burden but young men should help to make this burden light to old men by giving them reverence which if they do they shall reap a blessing by their blessings and prayers which are in a special manner 〈◊〉 with God as on the other side by neglect of this duty they may expect a curse from God and the aged for the blessings or curses of fathers or mothers are usually heard of God and made good upon obedient or disobedient children 3. We come now to the third kinde of excellency consisting in bonis fortunae the goods of fortune as they are called or in outward estate as in Nobility and Riches c. for noble men and rich men are in Scripture 〈◊〉 called fathers and consequently there is an honour due to them Nabal was rich and David in his message to him implicitly calls him father Give I pray thee to thy servant and to thy son David whatsoever cometh to thy hand and Naaman the Syrian was an honourable man and his servants call him father My father if the Prophet had commanded thee a small matter c. The reason hereof is 1. Because of the Common good that they may bring to the Common-wealth in times of peace and of war 〈◊〉 rei-publicae pecunia money is the 〈◊〉 of a Common-Wealth and therefore because God hath blessed them above others in their 〈◊〉 relation the Common-wealth doth prize and esteem them accordingly and prefers them above others setting them among the elders in the gate for if they have been careful in their own house it is like they will be so also in the Common-wealth Their duty answerable to this is expressed by the Apostle to communicate their 〈◊〉 for the benefit of others and to be rich in good works Nehemiah had besides his own family 150 others which he maintained at his table Barzillai was a rich man and he provided for David all the time that he lay
at Mahanaim when he was in danger by 〈◊〉 rebellion for which David would afterward have rewarded him So when the king of 〈◊〉 came to invade the land of Israel 〈◊〉 the king gave him a thousand talents to 〈◊〉 him which was leavied as the text saith of all the mighty men of wealth of each man fifty shekels of silver and so by this means the land was preserved Thus rich men are and ought to be serviceable for the publick and for this cause they are to be honoured 2. A second reason is because men that are rich may exercise some vertues which others cannot do as Magnificence 〈◊〉 erality Alms c. and great men may 〈◊〉 and help forward good causes and therefore there is reason that such should come in partem honoris to have part of the honour Examples of this we have in those that offered liberally for the Temple which they could not have done unlesse they had 〈◊〉 so that there was much left which was employed for the maintenance of the Levites and in the woman that moved her 〈◊〉 to provide and furnish a chamber for the man of God which they could not have done unlesse they had been able and in those that cast in their wealth into the 〈◊〉 for the use of the Temple Thus rich men may and ought to be helpful to the Church to the 〈◊〉 to Schools Colledges c. Answerable to this the care of rich men ought to be as well good as great when 〈◊〉 sought to pervert Sergius 〈◊〉 the Deputy a great man in the Countrey S. Paul withstood him and laboured to keep the Deputy constant in the faith And the same Apostle after many lessons to Timothy tells him that the love of money is the root of all evil and that by lusting after it many erre from the faith and thereupon bids him take special care about rich men intimating the danger of rich men and the special care he should take about such that they may be instruments of good to others The Heathen man 〈◊〉 if he were to make Amphions harp he would take greater pains about it then in making a harp for a common harper Again the duty of the rich as is there further vrged by the Apostle is not to be high minded 〈◊〉 trust in their riches The wise man observed that they count their riches their strong tower And hence it is that when they have any cause or controversie with another though they have no right yet they will think to carry all by their wealth none must oppose them Such a one was Nabal so proud and surly that no body could speak to him But such should remember that as 〈◊〉 saith the rich and 〈◊〉 meet and the Lord is the maker of both this should make them humble And if they be thus towards others then their duty is like David to account themselves their sons and them their fathers 4. The last kinde of excellency for which men are to be honoured is Excellentia 〈◊〉 the excellency of a benefit 〈◊〉 are called fathers Job saith He was a 〈◊〉 to the poor and whatsoever is sub 〈◊〉 beneficii comes within the compasse of this Commandment and he that receives a benefit is bound to 〈◊〉 them from whom he receives it There are three duties of the Benefactor and as many required of him that receives a benefit 1. Rich men must be benefactors they must do good to some or other It s true they are not bound to any particular person none can challenge any thing exdebito from them for this is the difference between 〈◊〉 beneficium they may be bound to particular persons in 〈◊〉 but not in beneficio for here they may make their choice to whom but they must do good wheresoever they are They must not mark mens 〈◊〉 though their benefits be ill bestowed upon such for as the Heathen man said Melius est ut 〈◊〉 benefi ium 〈◊〉 illum 〈◊〉 apud te It is better thy benefit be lost in his hands then in thine A benefit must be freely bestowed though the party deserve it not we must not look at his 〈◊〉 to us for 〈◊〉 est decipi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cum daret he is worthy to be deceived that when he gives thinks upon receiving again Like to those that in the course of giving benefits look not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not where they may place them upon the worthiest and most deserving but upon them that will be most beneficiall to them Such a benefactor is as a man to his gelding that when he means to vse him in a journey gives him so much provender because he is to vse him and he will not otherwise hold out in his journey And this takes away the honour of the Physitian and Lawyer that saves a mans life or his estate when they do it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a reward 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 qui dat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 loses the honour of the benefit that looks at some reward It s true he cannot sufficiently be recompenced that saveth a mans life but if he prostitute his art for gain he doth buy and sell and so 〈◊〉 his honour yet this is the course of the world that it may be feared that in short time men will make indentures to 〈◊〉 mento be thankful when they bestow their benefits 2. Another rule is they must do it speedily It must not stick between their fingers for Ingratum est beneficium quod 〈◊〉 inter manus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sunt beneficia parata 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is a benefit little worth that sticks long in the givers hands and they are most 〈◊〉 that are most ready casie to be obtained and where there was nothing hindred them but the modestie and bashfulnes of the receiver for indeed such 〈◊〉 are not onely 〈◊〉 but costly Nulla res 〈◊〉 constat quam quae precibus emitur there 's nothing cost more then that which is obtained with much suit and petition And as it is cruelty to prolong the death of a condemned person and a kinde of 〈◊〉 as we say to rid him quickly out of his pain so the prolonging of a benefit tortures a man between hope and fear And therefore Duplex fit bonitas cum accedit celeritas minus decipitur cui negatur celerius that benefit is worth two that a man bestowes speedily and his expectation is lesse frustrate that hath a quick denial Therefore as he said Apage homines quorum lenta sunt beneficia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 away with those men that are quick to do one an injury but will consider on it before they will do you 〈◊〉 good for now prosunde odium simul instilla beneficium men will powre out their hatred all at once but a benefit must not be had but by degrees They must weary out a mans patience and then some little benefit Seneca saith well They must have longum
Depart from the tents of these wicked men and touch nothing of theirs lest ye be consumed in all their sins But on the other side if they require things directly and evidently contrary to the commands of God Deo potius quam hominibus we must not obey them our selves nay we also must exhort others not to obey them if their authority be lawful though abused we must rather suffer then resist but if it be usurped and without any colour of title we may resist them if we be able for 〈◊〉 without title while the lawful Governour hath not 〈◊〉 his claim are to be accounted as publick theeves and robbers its lawful for any to destroy them and thus we may say with David Quis consurget mecum who will rise up with me against the evil doers We must get as many as we can to joyn with us to deliver us from the oppression of such as 〈◊〉 or invade the authority of our lawful Soveraign CHAP. XI The second part of this Commandment A promise of long life Reasons why this promise is annexed to this Commandment How this promise is made good Reasons why God sometimes shortens the dayes of the godly and prolongs the dayes of the wicked VVE are now come to the second general part of this Commandment which is the Promise That thy dayes may be long 〈◊〉 a prolongation of dayes In the second Commandment there is a general promise to them that love God and keep his Commandments In this there is a particular promise for them that observe this Commandment and therefore its true which the Apostle observed that this is the first Commandment with promise that is with a particular promise Now the reasons why God adds a promise and reason to this Commandment may be these 1. Because according to the proverb Adorant plures 〈◊〉 solem quam occidentem there are more that worship the rising then the setting Sun and old men are compared to the sun going down Job saith that a man towards his end is like a candle burning within the socket or a lamp despised So consequently our fathers having one 〈◊〉 in the grave are neglected because there is no further hopes of receiving benefits by them whereas if they were still growing up with us there were further expectation of good towards us Therefore God adds this reason or motive to stir us up to give due honour to them even when they are old because we shall be rewarded our selves with honour and long life 2. Secondly here is a convenient proportion between the promise and the duty which is most 〈◊〉 The Heathen man saith Si acceperis 〈◊〉 gratis tuere if thou hast received a benefit preserve it We received a benefit in our birth from our parents that is our life be thankful to them and so maintain it for God then will have our life preserved by them from whom we had it and that is by their benediction if we shall continue in our honour to them Pietas saith S. Ambrose in parentes grata Deo merces 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this piety towards parents is acceptable to God and is the just reward from children to parents c. And S. Paul saith it hath not onely the promise of this life but of 〈◊〉 to come And therefore this second reason is explained ut bent 〈◊〉 sit that it may 〈◊〉 well with us For as it is said that if all the Adverbs as diu c. were linked together and bene and male were left out they were nothing worth And therefore God makes a comment upon this Commandment after he hath said that thy dayes may be prolonged he adds that it may 〈◊〉 bene well with 〈◊〉 ut non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sit longa sed 〈◊〉 that thy life be not onely long but happy Now parents blessing much conduceth unto this that by their blessing we may prolong our dayes The blessing of Noah to Sem reached to life eternal and of Japhet to this life that he should dwell in 〈◊〉 terra be enlarged and dwell in the tents of Sem and a curse fell upon Cham both for this life and the other and that upon 〈◊〉 and his posterity This blessing of the parents is effectual because it is a fruit of faith as the Apostle tells us in the case of Isaac blessing Jacob and of Jacob blessing the sons of Joseph and as their blessings so their curses are effectual we see it in the story of Isaac He 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fetch him venison that he may blesse him Rebecca counsels Jacob to prevent 〈◊〉 he dares not lest his father curse him yet at his mothers instigation he adventures and Isaac blesseth him with a blessing which afterward proved effectual for when 〈◊〉 came to be blessed Isaac told him dedi fratri tuo benedictionem erit 〈◊〉 I have blessed him and he shall be blessed yet 〈◊〉 loved 〈◊〉 better then Iacob but this was the work of Gods providence that Isaac should give the blessing to Jacob. So likewise in Jacobs blessing of Ephraim the younger before Manasses the elder the younger should be greater then the elder though he should be great too a strange blessing it was for the manner and mighty for the 〈◊〉 and when Jacob blessed Joseph because he had fed his father a part of the honour here commanded as was shewed before therefore he blessed him with the blessings of the heavens of the aire and of the deep and this blessing proved effectual for that Tribe continued longest in prosperity and remained with Judah when the ten Tribes were carried captive and never returned Thus the parents are the instruments which God chooseth to convey his blessings by you are the blessed of the Lord as the 〈◊〉 speaks The blessing is Gods and parents the instruments Before we leave this a question must be answered How is this promise fulfilled since we see by daily experience the contrary we see that dutiful children have died in the strength of their years and disobedient and stubborn have prospered and lived long and therefore that is very true which the Preacher tells us all things come alike to all c. 1. We say that riches honour long life and other outward things are but gifts of Gods left hand and are common alike to all as well to the bad as to the good Isaac in his blessing gave the fat of the earth to Jacob and after verse 39. He gives it to his brother 〈◊〉 and prosperity is the lot of the wicked aswell as the godly ne boni nimis cupide prosequerentur lest the good should be set too eagerly upon it and adversity is common to the godly aswell as the wicked ne 〈◊〉 turpiter effugiatur lest the godly should 〈◊〉 it basely 2. Again the reason why adversity is common to both is because if it should sall upon all the wicked in this life question would
for a good name or credit brings favour and withall riches Gamaliel being a man of note and of credit all gave ear to him Men will go to Physicians that are well esteemed for their advice and a cunning Lawyer shall bee sure of many Clyents and a good Tutor of many Scholars And most customers will resort to such as have most credit and the best report CHAP. II. The necessity of a good name The sinne forbidden in general Wherein 1. The root of it 2. The Suppuration or rankling of it inwardly by false surmises and suspicions 3. The fitting of the soyl by readinesse to hear false reports 4. The watering of the soyl by busying our selves in other mens affairs NOw for an entrance into that which follows it will be needful to shew the necessity and use of a good name and credit among men Though in respect of Gods judgement of us by which we must stand or 〈◊〉 it matters not much what men think of us yet there is an injunction laid upon every man to Let his light shine before men that they may see his good works and glorifie his Father which is in Heaven It is a duty of every man to do what good he can to others now there is little or no good to be done by that man that hath an evil report so that there is duplex necessitas a double necessity laid upon every one he must have bonam conscientiam 〈◊〉 se a good conscience for himself and bonam famam propter 〈◊〉 a good name for others as s. 〈◊〉 faith And therefore howsoever in respect of God and our duty to him setting scandalum 〈◊〉 and scandalum 〈◊〉 aside we 〈◊〉 stand resolved as the Apostle was to go through good report and bad report in doing our duty thereby to do good to others yet if with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just a man can joyn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whatsoever things are of good report this is the best course and the best way to be taken to do good both to our selves and others and little use will be made of a mans gifts without it It is true a man must regard the testimony of God and his approbation before the testimony of his own conscience and the testimony of his conscience before the witnesse of men he must say with the Philosopher Malo viri boni famam 〈◊〉 conscientiam perdere I had rather lose the name and report of a good man among men then hazard the losse of my conscience but yet where all these can 〈◊〉 together a man should desire them all because by this means his gifts wil be useful for the enlarging the Kingdom of Christ and edifying of his Church and therefore the care of the Apostles was though they were counted deceivers yet they were true and would give no 〈◊〉 of offence and the reason is given that their ministery might not be blamed and so by that means they should be the lesse able to do good Besides in regard of a mans owne self A good name should ever bee carefully regarded because whilest a man hath it hee will bee the more wary and circumspect over his wayes that so hee may keepe it Whereas when it is 〈◊〉 he puts on that frontem meretricium spoken of by the Prophet a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and like the deaf Adder stops his ear against all admonition In all these respects and considerations therefore it is a sin for a man to neglect his good name The Heathen man so esteemed of it that he said Excepto probro reliqua omnia maledicta nihil existimo Except slander and reproach which reflected upon his good name he would endure all other railings for the wound made by a slander will hardly bee so 〈◊〉 but that some scar will remain For in this case he that is slandered is disabled from doing that good which otherwise he might good men will be suspitious of him and evill men will never speak well of him and therefore every man should be very careful of his good name We proceed now to the offence it self or the sin here forbidden False witnessing And this our Saviour tells us proceeds from the 〈◊〉 For Out of the 〈◊〉 proceed evil thoughts c. and among other things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 False witnesse and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Foolish speaking So that the root of this sinne is in the heart where there is as we shewed in the former Commandements a natural inclination Grassari ad famam to rob a man of his good name thinking thereby to be better thought of our selves and by casting dirt upon other mens faces to make our own seem the fairer But in the next place when men come to that which Esay speaks of to dig deep to hide their counsel or with those in Ieremy To consult and devise devices against their neighbour how they may smite him with the tongue and slander him so that none may credit him this goes further for this is Suppuratio the rankling of it inwardly To this we refer those evil surmisings mentioned by the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Light suspitions which are upon little or no ground These wee handled before in the sixth Commandement as occasions of unjust anger and by consequence of murther But here wee speak of them as they are hurtful or prejudiciall to another mans fame or credit And from this saint Iames saith that men proceed further viz. From groundlesse suspitions and surmises to take upon them the office of the Law-giver viz. To judge and condemne And not onely to give wrong judgement upon their brother but to judge before the time as saint Paul saith and so they judge too hastily And not onely to judge of some outward actions from which no necessary conclusion can bee drawn but also of secret and inward thoughts and of matters doubtful which might be well interpreted and taken in a good sense as we see the Jewes did with Christ and Iohn Baptist Of whom the one for not eating but abstaining was said to have a melancholy Devil and the other who came eating and drinking was accounted a wine-bibber a friend of Publicans and Sinners And thus whereas some outward things may be done to good or bad ends they judge hastily De rebus seriis of the most weighty matters not regarding 〈◊〉 or consequentia what went before or follows after with other circumstances which may often vary the nature of outward actions Now this test is repentinus this sudden witnesse nunquam vere judicat never gives a 〈◊〉 verdict as we see in those Barbarians who no sooner saw the Viper cleave to Pauls hand but they concluded that he was a murtherer Thus men give sudden judgement whereas they ought as the Apostle
conjugal love in the three particulars before mentioned in forsaking what was dear to him father and mother c. In cleaving constantly to his Church and uniting himself with it so as his Church is the body and he the head so this love of his was spiritual towards the Church By which he made it without spot or wrinckle and so the husbands chief care ought to be to keep his wife sine macula ruga without spot or sinne in the sight of God And as this is required on the mans part so the woman to make her self amiable ought to resemble her that the wiseman speaks of Many daughters have done vertuously but thou excellest them all for favour is deceitful and beauty is vain but a woman that feareth the Lord she shall be praised This commendation had Lydia whom the Apostle sets forth for a pattern to other women that she was one that feared and worshipped God whose heart God opened to attend to the things spoken by Paul This makes a woman truly amiable for as there must be love in the husband so there must be Amibilitas amiablenes on her part thereby to draw love which consists in modesty and other vertues for as Salomon saith A gracious or as some read it a modest woman obtaineth honour for beauty or favour without grace and fear of the Lord is but as a ring of gold in a swines snowt And therefore immodest outward allurements ought to be far from them according to the Apostles rule they ought to adorn themselves in modest apparel with shamefastnes and sobriety not with broydered haire or gold or pearles or costly array but which becometh women professing godlines with good works And S. Peter requires that their adorning be not in plaiting the haire or wearing gold c. but in the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price And the Apostle Paul in another place commands that young married women beare children guide the house and give no occasion of offence And lastly Saint Peter would have them be of such conversation that even without the word the adversaries beholding them may be won and converted So much for the second duty 3. The third duty of the husband or Paterfamilias is oeconomical To provide for his wife and them of his family which if he do not he is worse then an infidel as the Apostle saith There must be in him an honest care by just and true dealing per 〈◊〉 oeconomicam by oeconomical prudence to provide sufficient maintenance for his wife and family It was the Patriarch Jacobs care as we may see in his conference with Laban for when Laban vrged him to tarry still with him his answer was that he had done sufficiently for him already he had by Gods blessing encreased his estate from a little to a great deale and if he should still follow his busines when should he provide for his own house It is the Apostles counsel that men should labour for that which is good that they may have not onely for themselves but also to give to others and so rather to be beneficial to others then chargeable And the wiseman in a Metaphorical way adviseth the like He would not have a man to come alwayes to his neighbours well when he is dry but to drink waters out of his own cisterne fontes 〈◊〉 deriventur foras let thy 〈◊〉 be aisper sed abroad and to this end in the next chapter he urgeth the example of the Auts wisdome in laying up against the hard winter to whom he sendeth the sluggard for a pattern and calleth him wise that gathereth in Summer that is while he hath time We have an example of it allowed by God and rewarded by man in the Patriarch Joseph who laid up against a dearth while the years of plenty lasted What a man obtains this way by his honest labour and industry is accompanied with a blessing from God even this blessing that he hath true peace of conscience in what he enjoyes his conscience shall not trouble him for unlawful gains according to that of Solomon The blessing of the Lord maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow with it viz. no inward grief of 〈◊〉 but rather peace and comfort And for the wives duty it is answerable to that of the husband The Apostle saith that he would have her guide the house not so much to provide for the house which is chiefly the husbands part but to order and dispose well of what is brought into the house which is in effect the same with that which Christ commanded the Apostles to gather up that which remaineth that nothing be lost And this is a good quality in a woman for though our Saviour reprehendeth Martha for being too much addicted to worldly cares yet it is said by another Evangelist that he loved her well And it is well said by a Father Foelixest domus ubi de Martha Maria conqueritur sed none converso ubi Martha de Maria that house is happy where Marie complains of Martha but it is not so on the other side where Martha findes fault with Maric The Wise man at large describeth the several duties in one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to qualifie a woman in this kinde and saith that he that shall finde such a vertuous woman is happy for her price is far above rubies And to the same purpose doth the Apostle advise women and in the midst of his lessons to them as a special means to observe the rest he bids them to be as snails 〈◊〉 domi-portae kcepers at home In this point following the example of Sarah of whom we read that she was for the most part either in the tent or at the tent door 4. The last thing is There must be from each of these duties officia resultantia duties resulting and arising to be performed to others viz. to each others kinred for by reason of this conjunction between the parties themselvs there is mutual love and honour to be given to each others kinred We see the example on the mans part for this duty in the man of God Moses who when his wives father Jethro came to him went out to meet him and made obeysance to him and entertained him and Aaron and all the Elders of Israel And at another time we finde what kindnesse he offered to Hobab his wives brother that if he would go with him into the land of promise be should partake of what good soever the Lord should do to him Come with us and we will do thee good And for the womans part we have an excellent example in Ruth toward her mother in law Naomi that by no means would be perswaded to leave her but would accompany her into her countrey